WorldSkills awaits eight young Victorians

EIGHT automotive students from Kangan Institute will go up against the nation’s most skilled apprentices and trainees at WorldSkills Australia 2023 National Championships from August 17-19.

The three-day event will see more than 500 young competitors showcase their mastery across more than 55 skills in Melbourne, including at the Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellent in Docklands.

Shortlisted finalists from regional competitions held last year include Noah Farrugia and Kristian Mitrovski in the Automotive Electrical field, Ali Akber Rezaie in Autobody Repair, Connor Matkovic in Automotive Mechanics, Dylan Hoskin in Automotive Refinishing, Coady Gorringe in Heavy Vehicle Mechanics, and Joshua Darmody-Schembri and Tom Saxon in Motorcycle Mechanics.

The eight students are vying for the opportunity to be selected as a Skillaroo to join Team Australia at the 2024 WorldSkills Competition in France.

“As a long-term ally of WorldSkills Australia, Kangan Institute is proud to host the autobody and automotive refinishing competitions at our Automotive Centre of Excellence,” said Kangan Institute chief executive officer, Sally Curtain.

“We’re looking forward to an outstanding display of vocational skills and techniques at the WorldSkills competition sites and we wish the best to all competitors with a special shout out to our eight Kangan Institute entrants.

“Our students have been working with their teachers and mentors to finesse their skills, both on campus and at their workplaces, and are set to put their best foot forward.”

Competiting in the Autobody Repair category at WorldSkills 2023, Ali Akber Rezaie says he discovered his passion for panel beating after migrating to Australia from Afghanistan.

Mr Rezaie, 22, began his career in a meat factory before making the switch to panel beating, after being introduced to the trade by a friend.

“I was looking for a career, for a skill I could do for the rest of my life. When I found panel beating, I thought, ‘that’s a great job’. It is very interesting, and I just went for it,” he said.

“I want to push myself and this is the best way to do that. I’m glad to have been chosen to compete – it’s a good chance to learn more.”

Taking his knowledge of Motorcycle Mechanics into the WorldSkills competition, 22-year-old Joshua Darmody-Schembri says his love of the trade has been with him since a young age.

“My father is a mechanic. Ever since I was little, I was always in a workshop,” he said.

“It’s (the competition) a bit out of my comfort zone but I’m willing to give it a go. I know I’m good at what I do so I’ll just continue following the path that I’m on.”

Kangan Institute educators are supporting student competitors as mentors with several also participating as competition convenors across various automotive skill categories.

Tickets for the 2023 WorldSkills Australia National Championships & Skills Show are now open for both school groups and general public.

The event has been running for over 40 years and will this year run alongside the Victorian Careers and Employment Expo. Attendees can even try a new trade of skill for themselves at one of the events many Try’aSkill booths.

Over 100 education providers and employers will be on site, with over 60 skills on display from the best apprentices and trainees in the country – most of whom will compete in skill-based competitions over the event’s three days.

Event organisers say skills competitions are a great opportunity for Aussie trainees and apprentices to test their skills and knowledge in their chosen field against their peers.

Competitors first participate in a regional competition where their skills are tested against others in their region. Participants who perform well at this level are then invited to the biennial National Championships where they can compete against peers from across the country.

From there, national medallists may be invited to train for the International WorldSkills Competition. This competition is run in a different international city every two years and sees the very best apprentices and trainees from all over the world take part.

Speaking on her experience at the WorldSkills International competition in 2019, silver medallist and automotive spray painter, Maxine Colligan, said, “I wouldn’t be half the tradie I am without WorldSkills Australia and their ongoing support for women in trades and skills”.

“I started the next chapter of my life with WorldSkills Australia and since then have never looked back. They create a platform to showcase excellence at a regional, national, and international level and I was fortunate to experience all three,” she explained.

I have excelled in all aspects of life since competing in a WorldSkills Regional Competition, whether it be through employment, buying a property, or encouraging others to look at VET as a fantastic career pathway.”