When it comes to the development of skills among young people – the Southern Highlands has a proud track record.
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Each year the Highlands has been the home to several top class students training to hone their vocational skills at TAFE NSW Wollongong.
Apprentice carpenters, bricklayers, pastry chefs, fitters and more – who hail from the Southern Highlands – have frequently ranked among the elite young tradespeople who have shone in WorldSkills Australia Regional Competitions.
Success at this level has secured their position at an even higher level – the WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
And 2018 is no exception.
This year TAFE NSW Wollongong has 10 students who have qualified for the national competition with three of them calling the Southern Highlands home.
Mittagong apprentice carpenter Jack Strachan is hoping to make his TAFE teachers and host employer, Davis Rice Constructions in Berrima, proud when he pulls on his tool belt and puts his construction skills to the test on the national stage.
Multi-award winning Gumnut Patisserie’s latest success story, Samantha Trotter, also of Mittagong, hopes the job-ready skills earned through TAFE and through her employer will give her a competitive edge.
Meanwhile Bowral fitter Matthew Harris will be drawing on skills he has gained from TAFE and his employer Southern Highlands Industrial Supplies to deliver what he hopes will be some of his best work.
All three will be vying for a bronze, silver or the ultimate gold medal in the competition which has attracted some of the best young tradespeople from throughout Australia.
The WorldSkills Australia 2018 National Championships will be held at ICC Sydney from June 2 to 4. The Southern Highland News whishes Jack, Samantha and Matthew the very best of luck in the comptetition.
Securing a medal in the national competition could lead to Jack, Samantha or Matthew putting their skills to the test on the world stage in the 45th WorldSkills International Competition finals to be held in Kazan, Russia in 2019. Highlanders have also ranked among the best at this competition in the past. Berrima bricklayer Sam Spong won a bronze medal at the 2015 International WorldSkills Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
