Aussie electricians to compete in ‘Trade Olympics’

Two young electricians will be among a team of young Australian ‘tradies’ who will be competing in the ‘Trade Olympics’ - otherwise known as the WorldSkills International competition - in Calgary, Canada in September.

The Australian team, dubbed the ‘Skillaroos’, consists of 26 of the most skilful young tradespeople and apprentices from across the nation, each team member deemed to be the best in their trade.

Gavin Press will be competing in the ‘Electrical Installations’ category and Benjamin Dean will be competing in the ‘Industrial Control’ category.

A first-place for Press in the Macquarie regional WorldSkills competition earned him a place in the WorldSkills national competition in Sydney where a gold medal secured his place in the Skillaroos squad. Likewise, Dean’s win at the Ballarat regional WorldSkills competition, followed by a gold medal at the national competition secured his place in the Australian team.

Both tradies consider being part of the team as being a great boost for their careers and a unique opportunity to develop their skills. Until the team’s departure in August, both Press and Dean will be fine-tuning their skills at the Dubbo campus of the TAFE NSW Western Institute and the University of Ballarat TAFE, respectively.

Team Australia currently holds the fifth position in the world rankings and is ranked the highest among the English-speaking countries. WorldSkills Australia CEO, Mark Callaghan, who will be cheering the team on said: “The Skillaroos are now very close to the culmination of their years of hard work. In the past, Team Australia has been the benchmark for excellence in trade and Canada will be another opportunity for us to show the world what Aussie tradies are made of.”

WorldSkills Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting youth in trade for 28 years. The organisation aims to raise the profile of skill-based vocations through a series of regional, national and international competitions, engaging industry, government and vocational education and training authorities to promote the benefits of skill development as a pathway to a career in trade.