Customers often assume Cory Welch is the lead refrigeration technician.
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At 51, they naturally expect the Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning tradesman to be the one in charge - not the fourth-year Competenz apprentice working alongside supervisors young enough to be his son.
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But that's exactly what makes Cory's story remarkable. After spending 25 years driving milk tankers and stock trucks across the lower North Island, in 2022 he made the courageous decision to start over, proving it's never too late to learn a trade.
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Leaving school in sixth form (year 12), Cory spent much of his working life behind the wheel, where he discovered he was just as interested in what was happening underneath the vehicle.
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"We were always under the truck tinkering, fixing stuff and helping out with repairs," he says.
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That practical curiosity would eventually become the foundation for a completely different career, and after decades in transport, Cory found himself ready for a change.
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The turning point came unexpectedly after Cory broke his arm unloading cattle.
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While recovering, he decided he wasn't going back to truck driving. A friend had once told him that if he ever learnt another trade, it should be refrigeration.
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That conversation stayed with him. Rather than waiting for an opportunity to appear, Cory walked into a Pahiatua refrigeration business and asked if they had an apprenticeship available.
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"I just went and introduced myself and said, 'Have you got any apprenticeships or anything?'"
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The business offered him a three-month trial, and after discovering he loved the work, he began his Competenz Refrigeration and Air Conditioning apprenticeship in late 2022.

Starting an apprenticeship in his forties wasn't without its challenges.
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“Even at 48 years of age, I had no idea. The refrigeration industry doesn't really match up with anything else. When they start describing how a refrigeration cycle works, it's just completely different to anything else I have known.
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“Then as an adult apprentice, there are the extra pressures that come with raising two kids and supporting their extra-curricular activities while you’re studying to be a volunteer station officer and firefighter. Life is busy,” he says.

When Cory relocated to Foxton Beach, he decided to look to continue his apprenticeship with a business known for investing heavily in apprentice development.
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A former colleague had previously worked for Excel Refrigeration & Air Conditioning and recommended the nationwide business to Cory.
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Excel employs more than 300 staff nationwide, including around 40 apprentices, and has built a reputation for investing in developing the next generation of refrigeration technicians.
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"My old colleague said, 'If you want to learn how to be a good Fridgie, hit these guys up.'"
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So Cory did. He walked into Excel's Palmerston North branch with his CV.
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The combination of decades of practical problem-solving, mechanical aptitude and a strong work ethic immediately caught the attention of the team, and just three days later he was invited to interview.
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Today, Cory says joining Excel transformed his apprenticeship.
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"At my previous job we were mostly installing heat pumps and doing some refrigeration work, but the opportunity to learn enough to call myself a Fridgie just weren’t there. We were struggling to get the time to slow down and really learn the trade.
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"At Excel, apprentices have a chance to throw the brakes on and slow everything right down. It's amazing learning. The whole culture throughout Excel is about teaching apprentices well, because they've got to hopefully become pretty good technicians one day."
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Each year, Excel brings apprentices together from around New Zealand for its four-day Apprentice Week, stepping away from day-to-day jobs to focus on practical training, technical development and learning alongside experienced mentors.

Cory also credits industry training organisation Competenz Training Advisor Grant Holcroft with playing an important role supporting him throughout his apprenticeship with regular visits and phone calls.
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“You can't sneak anything past Grant, being a Fridgie himself. He's been very tough at keeping me on the book work and to the deadline, in a good way because you know you're getting that learning that you need.”
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Grant believes age has served a genuine advantage for Cory’s training.
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“Being a ‘mature’ apprentice has given Cory a better appreciation of the need to put in the effort around his assessment work. His experience means he’s been able to better plan and create his study routine.
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“Excel are the leaders in apprentice training. Cory has benefitted from the annual Apprentice Week which is an opportunity for all apprentices to work together on projects and get shown the right way to carry out tasks. This helps standardise procedures and techniques across the company. They receive expertise from people from within Excel and some external to the company, getting the benefit of many years of industry experience and knowledge,” says Grant.
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For Cory, the apprenticeship has become about much more than learning technical skills.
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"It's been a personal growth journey. The age thing was daunting, but yeah, I'm getting there. I'm no longer all at sea as much as I used to be."
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He hopes more people in their forties and older realise a career change is still possible.
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"You've just got to go and grab it. If you've got an opportunity, have a crack.
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"I’ve taken a drop in money, but being in my fifties I am lucky to have a little bit more financial flexibility behind me and I’ve pushed through and should have my qualification done in seven weeks. For my generation wanting to learn a trade, this could be the right time to do it, to get to learn and still be earning.”
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On the eve of graduating from his apprenticeship, Cory still measures success by a simple personal benchmark.
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"I just want to get good at what I'm doing because I'm a long way away from it now.
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"I want to be good enough for me to call myself a Fridgie."

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