Certificate of Merit awarded to Peter Buttenshaw and Sarah Jones

Certificate of Merit Awarded to Peter Buttenshaw (National Judge, National Skill Manager, International Deputy Chief and Chief Expert Industrial Mechanic Millwright) and Sarah Jones (Competitor, National Judge, National Chief Judge, International Expert, International deputy Chief expert, International Skill Competition Manager – Graphic Design Technology).

Two of WorldSkills Australia’s dedicated volunteers have had their service formally recognised by WorldSkills International with a Certificate of Merit.

Peter’s WorldSkills journey began in 2010, as a Project Writer in Turning. Since then, he’s gone on to wear a number of WorldSkills hats, including Regional Judge, National Judge, National Skill Manager for Metals & Engineering, Expert in Polymechanics/Automation, 2015 Deputy Chief Expert Industrial Mechanic Millwright , 2017/2019 Chief Expert Industrial Mechanic Millwright, and Chief Expert and Project Designer for the Global Skills Challenge in 2015 and 2017.

As Deputy Chief and Chief Expert for Industrial Mechanic Millwright, Peter was instrumental in the implementation of the skill alongside Skill Competition Manager and Chief Expert Craig Brazil.

Under’s Peter’s guidance, three WorldSkills Australia competitors have achieved silver medals at the WorldSkills International Competition.

“I have worked in education for a number of years and the opportunities WorldSkills provides young people to showcase their talents within their chosen skill or trade is truly remarkable. I have seen firsthand how being a part of WorldSkills can change your life and career opportunities in the most positive of ways”

Peter Buttenshaw

Sarah’s journey began in 2001, when she entered a WorldSkills Australia Regional competition in Graphic Design Technology. From there, she went on to compete at both a National and International level, coming home with a gold medal from the 2003 WorldSkills International Competition in St Gallen, Switzerland.

Since then, Sarah has used her expertise to help guide the next generation of WorldSkills Australia competitors, taking on roles as a Regional Judge, National Judge, National Chief Judge, National Project Designer, International Expert, Deputy Chief Expert, International Skill Competition Manager and, most recently, a Skill Assessment Advisor for the WSA National Championships in 2021.

“I wrote my Masters thesis on the benefits of the WorldSkills programme which gave me time to reflect on the true impact that the WorldSkills platform provides students, teachers, parents, employers and the economy. It provides people with a wealth of transferrable skills that are of exceptional value for any employer. WorldSkills creates industry leaders and I can’t image my life without it’”

Sarah Jones

We want to take this opportunity to congratulate Peter Buttenshaw and Sarah Jones on this honour, and to thank them for their many years of service as role models and mentors for young Australians.