Rowan then went on to be named runner-up in the overall apprentice of the year.

A win in last year’s national apprentice skills competition held in Victoria saw him fly off to Michigan, US to participate in the international version.

Participants in the Queensland Master Plumbers Association awards are nominated by industry, and Rowan was pleased to be thrown into the mix by his employer Beavis and Bartels.

The selection process then involved come photographic evidence of his work and a challenging Q&A assessment to test his knowledge of industry practice.

He feels the Q&A component is where he stumbled in the same competition last year when he was put up for the third-year apprentice award, given that test’s focus on residential installations whereas he works on large projects.

This year he had a bit more experience (and exam preparation) under his belt, but was still surprised to hear his name read out.

“It will look good on the resume,” he said.

He completes his apprenticeship next month, to then spend the following 12-18 months pursuing a Certificate IV to gain his open plumbing licence.

He’s not planning on branching out on his own just yet, seeking to climb the corporate ladder where he is, possibly extending into project management, given the supportive environment he’s working in.

“The company pushes hard for people to get ahead, and supports anyone’s who’s eager to have a go,” Rowan said.