Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador: Mary George

For Australian Apprenticeship Ambassador Mary George, her determination to become a pastry chef began at the early age of thirteen where she started her own cupcake baking business. After watching episodes of MasterChef, attending food events and participating in French cooking classes, Mary decided to begin work experience at a French patisserie.

“I had to really push myself into the industry and put myself in challenging environments so that I have been able to work with only the best pastry chefs in the industry. This led me working with chefs like Vincent Gadan, Guillaume Brahimi and Peter Gilmore at the age of sixteen”.

Based in Bossley Park, Mary trained at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Sydney where she met head teacher, Andre Sandison, who saw her talent from the get-go and introduced her to WorldSkills.

“As soon as Andre told me about WorldSkills, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to grab on to the amazing opportunity that was given to me as I was able to compete in my very first competition. This was the beginning of the most amazing WorldSkills journey”.

Mary was offered the opportunity to become an Australian Apprenticeship Ambassador after winning the Gold Medal at the WorldSkills Australia National Competition.

Looking to the future

Mary is also one of Australia’s elite international team – the Skills Squad – who will spend the next six months training with her dedicated skills mentor, Herve Boutin, vying for the opportunity to join over 1,000 young people from 75 countries at WorldSkills International Competition being held in Abu Dhabi in October.

“It honestly means the world to me,” says Mary about representing her country in Patisserie & Confectionary. “Since I was a kid I’ve only ever wanted to achieve my very best at everything I do and I am not going to stop now. I am going to keep pushing as hard as I can to get to Abu Dhabi”.

As part of her WorldSkills training, Mary will spend the Easter break in France participating in an intensive training program at the world’s best patisserie kitchen, Chateau de vault de Lugny in Burgundy. Mary will work alongside the kitchen team during Gastronomic Week and have one-on-one training with the chateau’s executive chefs.

Joining the leaders in their field

Being an Australian Apprenticeship Ambassador, Mary joins the likes of popular sportspersons, acclaimed chefs, and television personalities such as Kevin Sheedy, Neil Perry and Scott Cam.

The Australian Apprenticeships Ambassadors Program aims to raise the status of the Australian apprenticeships system by showcasing real success stories. The Ambassadors speak to school leavers, career changers, educators and industry at a range of events about the personal and professional benefits of pursuing an apprenticeship.

If you are interested in an Australian Apprenticeship and how to get started contact your local Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider.

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