After competing against some of the best emerging tradesmen from all around Australia, local electrician Luke Moody said he would recommend the experience to anyone.
The Peak Gold Mines recently qualified electrical tradesman said he enjoyed competing at the Worldskills event in Melbourne last month.
“The whole trade event was well run and it was great being surrounded by hundreds of other young apprentices and trainees that are the best in their chosen fields from all across Australia,” Luke told The Cobar Weekly.
He recommends that if any other local apprentices are offered the chance to compete next year, they should jump on it.
“It’s only going to help them as an individual and help develop their skills allowing them to one day be confident in what they know and work on their own as qualified tradesmen.”
At this year’s Worldskills competition, Luke finished in 5th place in Australia in electrical control.
There was only four marks separating 2nd to 5th place in his section.
“The competition was just as hard as I expected it to be, and time was a key factor.
“A few other competitors didn’t even get a chance to finish their project purely due to the fact that there was so much to do in such a short time!
“You couldn’t afford to waste a minute, and one mistake could cost you a lot of time going back and rectifying it, so you had to be really switched on from the get go.
“I was able to finish my major project with 40 seconds to spare.”
Luke said competing at the competition showed him the importance of taking pride in your work.
“It’s taught me to work fast but still uphold a high level of quality when it come to the end product.
“I find that I work well under pressure situations and that’s something that I didn’t know about myself before,” he said.
He said the competition experience has also inspired him to learn more about his chosen field.
“Knowledge is everything and there are always new things to learn, so rather than to just sit comfy I’m more determined than ever to push myself to new heights and be the best tradesman that I can be.”
The Channel 7 television show Better Homes and Gardens covered the event and will be airing an episode on the Worldskills sometime next year.
Keep a look out, you might just see Luke in action.
