Harry primed for WorldSkills glory

Harry Steptoe, 19, is primed for a tilt at the title of WorldSkills National Champion in the Carpentry category this month at the largest trades and skills competition in the country when the WorldSkills National Championships teams up with the Victorian Careers and Employment Expo on August 17-19 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The young TAFE Queensland apprentice has been committing extra time throughout the year to training at TAFE Queensland’s Acacia Ridge campus with his trusted skills mentor, TAFE Queensland teacher Colin Willmett, and those around him say he is in with a good chance of bringing home the gold.

Having won the Queensland – East Coast Carpentry competition in emphatic fashion to qualify for the National Championships, Harry will travel to Melbourne later this month with his 61 Queensland teammates – 49 of which are fellow TAFE Queensland students.

Having been passionate about woodwork from a young age and now in the second year of his apprenticeship, which he is accessing the Queensland Government’s Fee Free Apprenticeships funding to complete, Harry sees WorldSkills as a great way to build his skills and career opportunities.

“I am competing in the 2023 WorldSkills program because it provides a valuable opportunity for career growth and personal development,” Harry said.

While he knows representing Queensland is an achievement in itself, Harry has his eyes set on the podium, “Winning a medal at the Nationals in 2023 would make me feel proud of myself and how far I have come and learned in my apprenticeship,” he said.

Manager of WorldSkills Queensland, Eric Davis, has been involved in the WorldSkills competition for many years, having his first experience as a judge at a regional competition in 1990, and said over the years he had seen many, many students reap great benefits from participating in the competitions.

“The benefits for trainees and apprentices are endless - from further developing their skills to networking, forging new friendships and creating exciting new career opportunities.”

“The competition helps competitors to become more confident in themselves and gain greater understanding of their skill area and industry. Most importantly they bring this confidence and knowledge back to their workplace to benefit their employers, colleagues, and industry,” he said.

TAFE Queensland is proud to be represented heavily in the Queensland team for the 2023 WorldSkills National Championships, both in competitors in and judges. This representation is evidence of TAFE Queensland’s standing as the premier training provider in the Sunshine State.

The full list of Queensland representatives for the 2023 WorldSkills National Championships can be found here.