WorldSkills Australia 
Keith Buckley
Training Institute: TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute, Hornsby College
Regional Results: Gold
National Results: Gold
Qualification: Cert III in IT – Software Applications
“WorldSkills is the most amazing organisation anyone can hope to become a part of. The support for aspiring young people from trainers, judges, past competitors and associated staff is incredibly encouraging and it pushes people to want to achieve more. There is an encyclopedia of knowledge within the organisation and everyone involved has the same goal – to nurture young people in being the best they can be.”
Keith has always showed a keen interest in watching, absorbing and learning the methods of problem solving and the use of computers. When he completed high school, Keith’s family encouraged him to seek some further education and to take advantage of the fact that he wasn’t working full time. He decided to pursue his passion and enrolled himself into a Certificate III course in IT- Software Applications at Hornsby TAFE in Sydney, NSW.
His natural connection with IT enables him to look at a problem and diagnose something which most people would not be able see, “I love being able to use a product that almost everyone has and, by knowing its true potential, solve the problem. Many people do not realise how powerful some of their software is and instead invest in unnecessary and expensive replacements, I like being able to show people how to use the programs they already have.”
In 2011, Keith’s teacher encouraged him to put his skills to the test in a WorldSkills Regional Competition. As his teacher had predicted, Keith won the gold medal at the regional level and secured himself a position to compete in the 2012 WorldSkills Australia National Competition held in Sydney. Once again Keith walked away from the competition with gold medal success and went on to represent Australia as a 2013 Team Australia Skillaoo at the 42nd WorldSkills International Competition in Leipzig, Germany.
This young man is passionate about the career choice he is pursuing and credits his TAFE for the success he has experienced so far, “I believe that everything TAFE teaches is what helps the world to go round. With the environment and teachers that TAFE supply, coupled with our nation’s need for the skills TAFE teaches and the personal benefit of being able to work in an industry you have a passion for, you can’t go wrong. Learning a vocation through TAFE helps individuals to springboard into a career they love. I am so glad that I made the decision to enroll in a course at TAFE, for if I had not I would not have had the opportunity to represent Australia in Germany,” says Keith.
Describe your experience representing Australia in Germany…
“My time in Germany was by far one of the best experiences I have ever had, and likely will ever have. The calibre of the competition was exactly what I was anticipating and the other competitors made for a good challenge. It was an amazing chance for me to experience another country and awesome opportunity to benchmark my computing skills with the rest of the world. Walking away with a Medallion Of Excellence and 5th place was a little disappointing, as I didn%27t get to go on stage but I%27m still ecstatic with that result as it is far better than my trainer or myself expected; proving that if you put your mind to a task you can accomplish anything, even the seemingly impossible.”