A Goulburn TAFE student is on his way to the national Finals of WorldSkills in Sydney next year following his win in the Illawarra region.
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Jack Strachan is a Stage One student of Cert III in Carpentry at TAFE Illawarra Goulburn Campus.
He recently traveled to Wollongong TAFE and competed in and won the WorldSkills competition for the Illawarra Region.
He was presented with his gold medal at an afternoon tea at the Goulburn TAFE on November 24.
Jack is from Mittagong in the Southern Highlands, but attends Goulburn TAFE every two months for classes.
He works for Davis-Rice Constructions in the Southern Highlands.
“Tim Davis-Rice has been a big influence on me,” Jack said.
The 18-year-old said he was very excited about winning.
“I always wanted to be a builder and I realised the first step is carpentry,” he said.
“I just like it at the end of making something when you step back and look at what you have created – it is a good feeling that you have accomplished something.”
He said at the WorldSkills event they were given six hours to construct a carpenter’s horse, which is a tool they use to saw wood on.
“It all came down to measurements – there is a bit of geometry in it – there are certain lengths you can’t measure just off the plans,” he said.
“We were only given a handful of specifications – the rest we had to work out on the day.
“Now I am off to the Nationals in Darling Harbour, Sydney in June next year. I will be representing the Illawarra and competing against apprentices from all over Australia – it is exciting,” he said.
He competed against 15 other apprentices in the Illawarra competition.
His teacher Martin Church said Jack did very well on the day.
“They assess everything at the end of the day and you have to be within a milimetre,” Mr Church said.
“Jack got 81 per cent in his competition on the day, which is a great effort.”
“If he wins at the Nationals he gets to represent Australia overseas in Russia next year.”
The WorldSkills National Championships is Australia’s biggest vocational education and excellence competition. They are held over four days and selected regional competition winners compete against their industry peers from around the country.
WorldSkills Australia was established in 1981 and is the leading voice for skills excellence in vocational, technological and service oriented careers in Australia.
They have raised the awareness of hundreds of thousands of young Australians and their parents, industry and employers, that our nation’s future depends on effective skills training systems.