SuniTAFE student Thomas Bevan spent last week in France vying for gold in the WorldSkills International Championships.   

Participating in the Heavy Vehicle Technology category, Tom competed against people from 15 different countries. He is the second person ever to represent Australia in this category.

Resembling the Olympics, the WorldSkills International Championships give students from across the globe the opportunity to contend in their areas of Vocational Education and Training (VET) expertise.

The Heavy Vehicle Technology category involves the repair and maintenance of large stationary and mobile machines and industrial equipment in environments that include transportation, mining, agriculture, and forestry.

As a Heavy Automotive apprentice, Tom utilises many of these skills in his day-to-day work at Mildura Truck Centre.

Though the competition proved too tough to beat this year, Tom’s hard work and dedication has done both Mildura and Australia proud.  

Over the past 12 months, SuniTAFE has worked closely with Mildura Truck Centre to prepare Tom for the championships.

Both SuniTAFE and Mildura Truck Centre have worked with their industry connections to put together a comprehensive training program for Tom, including the facilitation of trips to Tasmania to do specialised work with William Adams Caterpillar.

SuniTAFE Chief Executive Officer Brett Millington is proud of Tom’s performance at the competition and the collaborative effort to get him to France.

“Tom has really shown significant dedication to his craft and resilience to get to this point and we just want to celebrate that effort,” Mr Millington said.

“I know Mildura Truck Centre (MTC) are extremely proud of his achievements and, at SuniTAFE, we are incredibly grateful to have been an important part of that journey to WorldSkills in Lyon for Tom. 

"We are also very proud of the long-term relationship we have with the team at MTC. 

“The support and collaboration of our teachers, WorldSkills Australia, and the TAFE network across Australia, when combined with a great employer like MTC, just creates that ‘can-do’ attitude that is so evident in Tom. 

“He has truly represented all of us along the way.”