Nambour engineering program wins big at industry awards night

Fourth year sheet metal apprentice Jake Camm, 16-year-old VET in Schools student Michael Kotchovsky, and Nambour engineering teacher Tasvir Singh have had their knowledge, skills and dedication to their craft recognised, recently taking out three of the seven individual award categories at Weld Australia's 2025 Queensland and Northern Territory Welding Excellence Awards.

For Year 11 The Industry School student Michael Kotchovsky, receiving 2025 VET in Schools Student of the Year Award was an honour that he says has boosted his confidence in his skills.

“I felt pretty proud – to receive it in front of my teachers and my employer was pretty cool,” Michael said.

“It’s good to see awards recognising not only the workers in industry, but the students putting in the work to get to that level,” he said.

“It means a lot. I’ve been working so hard, so to be acknowledged for that and have that reassurance that it’s not all for nothing it really rewarding.”

A highly motivated individual, Michael played a key role during his Certificate II in Engineering Pathways (MEM20422) studies in a project in which he and his classmates manufactured 10 sandbag-filling stations that were recently donated to Sunshine Coast Council for use in future disasters. His ability to quickly learn and his strong attention to detail has since seen him secure a boiler making apprenticeship, with this award signalling the beginning of a successful engineering career.

“I just started about a month ago and I’m loving it – it’s everything I wanted it to be,” he said.

“I want to get dual-trade qualified. Once I’ve done this apprenticeship, I’d love to complete a mechanical apprenticeship and then eventually open my own business doing custom fabrications for cars and trucks. That’s the long term goal.”

Meanwhile, Free Apprenticeship for Under 25s funded Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade (MEM31922) sheetmetal apprentice and All Fab employee, Jake Camm took home the title of Young Trades Person of the Year at the awards. Having recently competed at the 2025 WorldSkills Australia National Championships, the award is further evidence of Jake’s bright future.

“I feel very proud of the year I’ve had. It’s pretty incredible to be able to show all my hard work has paid off; It’s really answered any doubts I’ve ever had over the years that I’ve had,” Jake said.

“The experiences I’ve had this year have definitely made me more confident in my abilities to be able to do things I haven’t done before. It’s been pretty unreal.”

As one of Jake and Michael’s educators, it was a proud night for Tasvir Singh, who was also recognised with the 2025 Training and Education – Individual Teacher Award.

“It was an incredibly proud and rewarding occasion not just personally, but for all of us who work together to support, guide, and inspire our students,” Tasvir said.

“Seeing our learners recognised on such a stage highlights the impact of our shared commitment, teamwork, and passion for delivering quality training and education.”

A range of large-scale projects are anticipated to drive employment opportunities in engineering and manufacturing on the Sunshine Coast in coming years, with the Commercialisation Demonstrator Hub and The Wave  currently underway or about to commence.