26 May 2025
Nine SuniTAFE students are headed to Brisbane next month to compete against the country’s best tradespeople at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
The Championships are held every two years and see TAFE students from across the country participate in skills challenges relevant to their fields of study.
The 2025 Nationals will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 12-15 June, which includes three days of competition and a medal ceremony on the final day.
SuniTAFE’s team of competitors consists of six apprentices and three students who are enrolled in the VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VDSS) program.
The participants will be accompanied by a number of SuniTAFE teachers who are acting in an official capacity as mentors, team leaders, or judges.
The last National Championships were held in 2023, where two SuniTAFE students won gold medals, including Thomas Bevan who went on to compete in the WorldSkills International Championships in France last year. Thomas has returned to SuniTAFE to mentor this year’s Heavy Vehicle Mechanics competitor.
The mentor and student teams have been training hard over recent months to prepare for the competition, including by attending a training camp in Melbourne last weekend with the rest of Team Victoria.
The participants had the opportunity to practice their skills and identify areas of improvement to focus on to ensure they are ready for the competition in June.
Chief Executive Officer Brett Millington is excited to see another cohort of SuniTAFE students compete in the WorldSkills National Championships.
“It is great to have such a large cohort of students selected to represent Victoria at this esteemed event and continue to represent SuniTAFE on the National stage for a medal,” he said.
“We are very proud of the students, but also our teachers and mentors who have helped support them to this point.
“It’s also great recognition for our teachers to be asked to participate as mentors and judges for the event; further evidence of the quality and passion of our educators.”
Kye Lawrence-Hall – Mildura Auto Electrical
Category: Automotive Electrical
Wade Moiler – Mildura Truck Centre
Category: Automotive Electrical
Luke Fitzgerald – Gowers Homes
Category: Carpentry
Charlie Walker – Murray Valley Lasers
Category: Construction Steel Work
Zane Smythe – Mitchell Truck Repairs
Category: Heavy Vehicle Mechanics
Aiden Keys – O’Connors
Category: Welding
Kadison Dalton – Balranald Central School
Category: VETiS Metals and Engineering
Archie Thompson – Mildura Senior College
Category: VETiS Electrotechnology
Matthew Prescott – Mildura Senior College
Category: VETiS Plumbing