William Nickl

Patisserie & Confectionery

• Region Canberra
• WorldSkills Accolade 2025 National Gold Medal
• Employer Gumnut Patisserie
• Training Institute Canberra Institute of Technology
• Local Trainer / Mentor Dammika Hatharasinghe, Andrew Sandison & Tracy, Vicki & Josh Nickl
• International Expert Guido Pozzebon - Holmesglen Institute of TAFE

“I discovered a love of pastry in my family business. I was very young when I knew the hospitality industry was my career path.”

Apprentice Pastry Chef, William Nickl, grew up surrounded by the bustle of his family business, Gumnut Patisserie. “I was always at work, and I realised pretty quickly that the faster the jobs got done, the sooner we could go home. So I started helping wherever I could. Before long though, I fell in love with it and wanted to learn more. That’s when I began working weekends and knew this was the career I wanted to pursue for life.”

William has had his eye on competing at WorldSkills Australia for many years. “When I was in Year 11, another apprentice at work was competing and I helped her with some small training tasks. Competing at a WorldSkills International Competition has been a goal of mine since I was 13 years old, and this gave me the motivation to pursue this.”

And compete he did, taking out the Gold Medal at both Regionals and Nationals. “I trained every day for six months before school. I did ten full time trials to ensure I was ready. Scoring a 99.61 at the National Championships was definitely my proudest moment. It reflected the months of hard work and the countless hours I put in.”

He’s also had plenty of backing throughout his journey, from his family to his teachers. “My mentor, Dammika Hatharasinghe supported me through thick and thin. If I was stressed or struggling, I’d call him and he always made me feel relaxed and comfortable.”

“Alexis Bouillet, the 2011 WorldSkills World Pastry Champion, is amazing and has helped me understand how to merge multiple ideas together. On a more personal level, my parents inspire me. They’ve built a thriving business from nothing and that’s something I’m proud of every day.”

William has some important goals he wants to hit in his near future. “I’d love to speak at schools about what a trade has done for me and hopefully inspire others. I’m also keen to move to Europe and work in a Fine Dining Restaurant or Patisserie to further develop my skills.”

Three words that describe you – Persistent, Motivated, Ambitious

Patisserie & Confectionery Team

Expert: Guido Pozzebon – Holmesglen Institute of TAFE