Where Are They Now: Dylan Di Martino

Three months on from the 43^rd WorldSkills Competition in São Paulo, Brazil, WorldSkills Australia is still very much a part of 2015 Skillaroo Dylan Di Martino’s life.

It wasn’t long after Dylan’s Bronze Medal win that he was back on the competition floor, this time as a Judge at the 2015 WorldSkills Australia Regional Competition in Plumbing for the Melbourne Region. “It was actually really interesting,” said Dylan. “I went through the marking scales with Tyson Knight while I was training for the International Competition, but to actually use the scales as a Judge really opened my eyes to how you’re judged in these competitions.”

While he enjoyed his first time judging a WorldSkills Australia competition, he did find the sudden role switch a bit difficult to adjust to at times. “It’s funny: I sort of found myself still in the zone of a competitor. I wanted to jump in there and show the competitors what to do as I watched the competition, but all I could do is sit back and watch.”

Aside from judging the Regional Competition, Dylan is enjoying getting back to his normal routine. “You get so caught up in such a busy lifestyle with so much training and it can be a bit overwhelming to get back to reality and the normal swing of things.”

Dylan was recently named a finalist for the ‘Student of the Year’ award at Victoria University. Although he didn’t win, he was really humbled to have been the first finalist for the award from the TAFE sector.

What’s next for Dylan? “I’m looking forward to possibly judging at the 2016 WorldSkills Australia National Competition in Melbourne next year and helping out anywhere else I can.”

Dylan is one of the faces behind the 2016 WorldSkills Australia National Competition, Melbourne campaign. For more information, visit: www.worldskills.org.au