MOREE apprentice boilermaker Ryan Hunt will head to the Australian National WorldSkills Championships in Brisbane next year after last month scooping a gold medal at regional level.

The regional championships, held at Tamworth, drew competitors from across the north-west.

The 17-year-old trainee is midway through a four-year Cert 3 Engineering and Fabrication apprenticeship with Blake Tidmarsh.

Ryan competed in two, six-hour sections against 12 apprentices over two days.

He fell short on day one but regathered the next day for gold in the Construction Steelwork Completion section, which involved the marking out and fabrication of a universal beam splice section.

The section consisted of a flat bar or plate and stainless pipe, to create a representation of a building column or beam-like section, with particular emphasis on setting and welding preparation.

“I wasn’t feeling that confident going into day two. But once I got there and started doing the work, I slowly got a bit of confidence back,” Ryan said.

Ryan will spend every spare minute over the next few months preparing for State training next March, then head to the national championships later in the year.

“I’ll try and recreate the job that was done last year, and practice that so I’m ready and know what to expect when I head down there,” he said.

“This is the first competition I’ve entered, so it’s been a good outcome.”

Ryan Hunt and Blake Tidmarsh at work. Ryan will head to the Australian National WorldSkills Championships in Brisbane next year.

Employer Blake Tidmarsh said Ryan’s work ethic and passion for his trade held him in good stead against some of the region’s best.

“There were older competitors and Ryan was a bit rattled by that. I told him to stay focused. I knew he’d be better than most of them because of what I make him do – I’m pretty hard on him,” Blake grinned.

“I know Ryan’s good at what he does, because he puts in so much effort.”

Blake said many aspects of the welding and fabrication game, like many industries, can’t be taught in a classroom or workshop.

“Ryan has it in him to do things right. It’s something you can’t teach. You have to love what you do to be good at it, and Ryan has got that passion,” Blake said.

“He loves doing what he does and it reflects in his work. I saw that from the start, and it’s something I can’t teach or instil – it’s either there or it’s not.”

More than 500 WorldSkills Australia competitions are held in 34 regions around Australia.

They cover more than 60 trades and skills from seven skill clusters and draw more than 4000 apprentices, trainees and students.

The skills-based competitions are held on a two-yearly cycle at regional, national and international levels, and aligned to national training packages, Apprenticeships Australia and Jobs Australia schemes.

Competitions are designed by industry and skills experts who assess an individual’s knowledge, practical competence and employability skills against a set of strict criteria.

The National Championships is Australia’s biggest vocational education and excellence competition. Selected Regional competitors showcase and benchmark their skills on the national stage, and compete against industry peers from around the country.

The first three years of Ryan’s apprenticeship with Blake are NSW TAFE-assisted.

“Ryan goes to Tamworth TAFE for five days every five weeks, and the last year of his apprenticeship is all on-the-job,” Blake said.

Words and Image: Bill Poulos