Ten of the Illawarra’s best are ready to strut their stuff in Australia’s largest vocational education and excellence competition.
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And the TAFE Wollongong students have left no stone unturned in their bid to upstage the nation’s best at the WorldSkills Australia 2018 National Championships this weekend.
More than 500 vocational students will converge on Darling Harbour over the next three days to chase a coveted gold medal.
Gold, among other metals is exactly what Mount Keira resident Ryan Hepplewhite has his eye on.
Hepplewhite, who studied Construction Steel Work at TAFE Wollongong, said he was nervous but confident in his skills heading into the event running June 2-4.
From Saturday through to Monday he will have 18-hours to test his skills fabricating set tasks using steel. His workmanship will be judged down to .5 of a millimetre.
“I’ve put in the hard-yards. I’ve been building copies of past national competition projects,” Hepplewhite said.
“My oxy-cutting has to have perfect edges, everything must be square and all the radiuses have to be perfect.
“Plus you’ve got to do all that while racing the clock. I’ve spoken to past entrants and they said I will be running the whole time, six hours a day for three days.”
Mathew McGlashan, the Worldskills team leader for the Illawarra, knows what the competitors in his charge are going through.
Five-years-ago, the former TAFE Wollongong student won at WoldSkills regional and national competitions to be selected to compete in Germany as a member of the Australian Skillaroo team.
Now he has returned as a team leader to ensure this year’s Illawarra competitors arrive at the competition in fine form.
“There’s a lot of work involved in getting everyone ready,” he said.
“Tools need to be sent in from across the region. Uniforms have to be issued. The Illawarra team will have a formal WorldSkills jacket to wear.
“We’re proud of where we are from and proud to be representing the Illawarra.”
Callum Mayo, Wollongong TAFE's Student of the Year for 2017, is also part of the strong 10-person team, which also features Jack Strachan, William Marsh, Matthew Harris, Ethan Gomez-Staines, Matthew Thompson, Riley Watson, Samantha Trotter and Bayley Clark.
TAFE NSW regional general manager, Kerry Penton said the 10 Wollongong students had earnt their right to participate after upstaging some of the best local talent at the regional WorldSkills competition.
“The ultimate goal for each team member will be to win a gold medal, which will earn them a place on the Australian Skillaroos team to compete with the world’s best at the 45th WorldSkills International Competition finals to be held in Kazan, Russia in 2019,” she said.
The WorldSkills Australia 2018 National Championships will be held at ICC Sydney on June 2-4. Visit www.worldskills.org.au for details.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
