Illawarra team manager and national team mentor Troy Everett, of Wollongong TAFE, said everything was being thrown into the final preparations as the Australian team was leaving for Brazil in just five weeks.

"They are training every day of the week now," Mr Everett said.

"They have been released from their employers and I am really impressed with the whole team. I am particularly impressed with the Illawarra group who make up a third of the national team.

"They are outstanding young people and you can see how they have grown through the whole process. They are world class skill ambassadors and I can't wait to see how they go."

In many cases Mr Everett has seen them develop through their TAFE training and the different levels they have competed in WorldSkills.

He knows each team member well and is so experienced at the international level he is really confident about the 2015 team's chances.

But he does not want to put any undue pressure on them.

"They will be away for two weeks," Mr Everett said.

"When they get there they will acclimatise and familiarise themselves with all the different products and the local environment before they compete for four days from the 11th to the 14th of August."

Mr Everett was recognised for his leadership and mentoring, as well as his role as a trainer, at the 2015 NSW Training Awards for the Illawarra and South East NSW region earlier this month, when he was awarded the Vocational Education and Training Teacher/Trainer Award.

He is recognised as a global leader in preparing competitors for international WorldSkills competitions.

After winning the award Mr Everett said it felt quite weird being on the other side.

"Being a teacher the reward comes vicariously through the efforts of the students," he said.

"It is a good reflection though I think of the training prowess generally down here.

"If you told me when I was a hard working bricklaying apprentice (more than 20 years ago) that I would be touching so many lives and guiding so many young people and influencing my industry worldwide, I would have said you are crazy."

Brazil, China and Russia are among the countries he builds training systems for.

Mr Everett said that was recognition of the Illawarra being world class in skills training.

"I still can't believe they take the logic I provide and implement it and that I am affecting industries all around the world."

Mr Everett said it only happened because someone mentored him and told him he had a skill set that was suitable for teaching.

"I saw that WorldSkills would be a good accompaniment to my teaching," he said.

"So I just jumped at that and it has carried me through. It goes to show if you are willing to work hard enough and you want it bad enough there are so many opportunities out there."