By Briar Babington, H. W. Richardson Group

Passion, teamwork and a good attitude. They’re the keys to success for most things in life, and for the 2022 Concrete Industry Apprentice of the Year, they certainly have yielded great results.

Allied Concrete Blenheim plant supervisor Megan Blance isn’t your typical ‘apprentice’ type – she’s not a full-time apprentice, she’s not completely new to her chosen industry and she’s not at the bottom of the pecking order. But that’s entirely the point – there’s more than one or two ways of getting from A to B when it comes to apprenticeships.

Six years into her career with Allied Concrete, Blance was named the 2022 Concrete Industry Apprentice of the Year at the ConcreteNZ annual conference in October 2022. If you’d told her six years ago that this would have been happening, she wouldn’t have believed you.

‘It’s quite special and humbling, having people look at me like that,’ she says.

First impressions can be deceiving – you could say the same of Blance’s start with Allied Concrete, which was in an administration role. For two years, she worked in admin for the Allied Concrete plants at the top of the South Island. During this time, she got a genuine feel for the business and forged working relationships with many staff. When the Blenheim plant needed a bit of steering in the right direction, Blance offered to steady the ship, and she set off on the task of setting the plant back on course. Appointed as plant supervisor, the plant’s performance improved dramatically in all aspects under her guidance.

In this new role, she ‘got more into the concrete side of things’ by immersing herself in all parts of the concrete manufacturing process. Understanding all the components that go into concrete production – such as batching and testing – makes her a better plant supervisor for her team, and for the business.

Having completed the BCITO Concrete Production course, Blance was eligible to be considered for Apprentice of the Year – though with a bit of prodding from her colleagues. Allied Concrete’s technical team put together a shortlist of potential nominees for the award, and then decided on putting up Blance. In her nomination, her exceptional leadership skills and ability to always step up to the plate were among her many strengths.

‘I put this award down to being a team – there’s no way I could have got here by myself. It’s a team effort,’ she says.

In his nomination, Allied Concrete Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Area Manager Andy Parker said Blance was a worthy recipient of the award, with her hard work to improve the performance of both the Blenheim and Nelson plants of particular note.

‘Megan was the unsung hero behind the scenes and, in many ways, the plants at the top of the South Island wouldn’t run as efficiently without her. Megan is a team player and puts her staff first. The clients love her and say she is doing a great job.’

Clearly, these were attributes that resonated with the awards judges, who noted that she embodied a range of attributes that saw her rise above the other high-calibre entrants.

In a news release following her win, Concrete NZ Chief Executive Rob Gaimster remarked on Blance’s work ethic among peers and colleagues.

‘Megan’s perseverance is clear, as is her commitment to building strong relationships with customers and fostering high morale among her team.’

When the call came in that she’d won, Blance was floored. The surprises kept coming – she was the first woman to be awarded the title.

‘I was completely oblivious that I was the first woman to win the award, until about two days after. I had all these texts coming in from people saying, “Oh my god! You go girl, fly the flag!”’

Life within a concrete plant is persistently busy. Your day may be planned out at 8 am, but by 9 am the goalposts have shifted and there’s a completely different set of priorities.

‘Yeah, it can be challenging – not every day is perfect,’ Blance says.

This need to be nimble and flexible in both thoughts and actions is vital to success within the concrete industry – something that Blance excels at. Of course, a great bunch of people to spend your day with helps.

‘My team are a solidly good bunch of people. I love them all to bits,’ she says.

Apprenticeships within the concrete industry come with immense opportunity. If you have a good attitude and a genuine willingness to learn, that’s a big part of the formula for success. And as one of the most commonly used construction materials in the world, being skilled in concrete means there will always be a variety of career opportunities for apprentices to explore. Manufacturers, supervisors, project managers, contract managers, contract supervisors, business owners, technical leads – there are almost as many job opportunities as there are applications of concrete.

Like Blance, apprenticeships are suitable for anyone at any stage in their career. From school leavers to those wanting to upskill, or even those looking for a complete change in direction, apprenticeships arm learners with knowledge and practicality in a tangible way.

Blance’s advice for budding apprentices? Just jump straight in the deep end.

‘You don’t know what you don’t know, so challenge yourself,’ she says.

‘Put yourself out there, take the bull by the horns and just get into it – have fun! Don’t be nervous.’