Year 12 student, Tom McInnes from St Francis Xavier College (SFX), Florey, has competed in the Canberra region WorldSkills Carpentry Competition, an international vocational education and excellence competition for trainees, apprentices and students. The competition showcases what can be achieved with real industry skills. Winners of local competitions can then go on to represent at Australian and international competitions.

Tom is completing an Australian School Based Apprenticeship through SFX. He commenced his apprenticeship with Combined Construction in Year 11, whilst undertaking his studies through SFX and the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

Trainers at CIT selected Tom to compete in WorldSkills, held at the CIT campus in Bruce. Tom described his experience as different and stressful, however he also had a lot of fun.

“We had to build a sawhorse,” said Tom.

“We were given instructions and had to work out the dimensions, angles and other elements before commencing construction.”

“It was challenging but I would definitely recommend the experience to others.”