Bricklaying Trade Skills and WorldSkills Australia: A meeting of minds.
Providing a plentiful supply of skilled brick and blocklayers to serve the brick manufacturing industry is challenging. While demand for brick homes and commercial construction continues to be high, the range of trade career choices available to aspiring apprentices is also high and becoming more specialised. Often not appreciated, is the skill, craftsmanship and satisfaction that results in choosing a bricklaying apprenticeship. This is where sponsorship of WorldSkills Australia, provides the perfect partnership for the Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation (ABBTF).
ABBTF promotes an understanding of, and facilitates ways for interested candidates for the Certificate III qualification in Bricklaying, to experience the trade in work ready workshops and other hands-on events. One of the industry’s key strengths is the quality of its RTO and TAFE trainers and the many excellent employers and hosts who engage in on-the-job training day-in, day-out to build and hone the level of skills required in construction today. These craftsmen and women are the reason the trade has continuously been selected for WorldSkills International competitions. WorldSkills Australia’s focus on highlighting skills is an excellent forum to promote this trade.
Ian Stoneman, Chief Executive Officer at ABBTF, re-affirmed his organisation was committed to sponsoring candidate training for WorldSkills International competitions – this year’s contender being the highly regarded Trystan Sammut from Ballarat, Victoria. ABBTF’s sponsorship ably supports WorldSkills International objectives to encourage worldwide skill competitions and facilitate knowledge exchange through international cooperation. Bricklaying makes a major contribution to knowledge and skills sharing through all involved but is particularly appreciative of the leadership provided by Troy Everett, Training Manager and International Chief Expert – Bricklaying.
The ABBTF is proud to sponsor Skillaroo Bricklayer Trystan Sammut as he prepares to represent Australia at the 44th WorldSkills International in Abu Dhabi in October.