FIVE students from Newman Senior Technical College are ready to take on the best of their peers from across the nation this week.
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Luke Staunton (automotive), Dylan Perry (electrotechnology), Liam Norman (metal and engineering), Katelyn Dwyer (business services) and Alex Ramsay (construction) will compete for individual honours at the WorldSkills Australia National Competition, Australia’s largest trade and skill competition.
The college is also seeking to maintain its standing as the most successful secondary high school in the country, a title it has held at the past two national competitions.
Katelyn is nervous ahead of the national competition but she has plenty of preparation under her belt.
“I just hope I do really well,” she said. “It would be good to get a good job afterwards.”
Dylan said he was pretty ready for the challenge.
“It’s such a big event and I think it will be a good experience,” he said. “Knowing I’m one of the best in the state makes me a bit more confident.”
The three day event, which begins at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre tomorrow, will showcase the skills of 500 of Australia’s best trainees, apprentices and students competing in more 50 skill and trade areas.
Luke said he was nervous but confident.
The 17-year-old plans not to rush and to ensure he reads the instructions properly.
The nerves have started to kick in for Alex too but he feels confident.
“It will help me get a job in the future,” he said about the WorldSkills experience.
Meanwhile, Liam expects to feel nervous when he arrives in Perth.
“It’s a good experience ... I’m learning new skills, how to read plans and get stuff done in a quite tight timeframe,” he said.
In the Vocational Education and Training in Schools category, the Newman Senior Technical College students will come against highly skilled students from the rest of the country and demonstrate the level of excellence achieved through their training at the college.
WorldSkills competitions take place on a regional, national and international level.