Teen wins gold in state competition

Work on his family property, 40km from Texas, plus Warwick TAFE rural classes, inspired Nathan Henry to win a gold medal at the recent WorldSkills state finals.
The SCOTS PGC Year 11 student won the Primary Industries VET in Schools category by repairing a wire fence then splinting a mate’s “broken” leg before calling 000 to guide an ambulance to the accident scene.
He also learns shearing skills at Warwick TAFE every week as he prepares for a long and rewarding life in primary industry.
“I’m really thrilled to win the WorldSkills gold medal at our TAFE Open Day. Now I’m working towards competing at the national finals in Sydney next March,” Nathan said.
“I reckon working on our property gave me the edge in the fencing test and a first-aid course I did at Texas State School gave me the confidence to handle the ‘accident’ situation,” he said.
His dream now is to win the national title in primary industries skills then travel to Europe to represent Australia on the international stage.
“Developing new skills during my TAFE rural course will help me compete against the world’s best and should pay off when I return to our farm,” Nathan said.
Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT) director
Trevor Schwenke congratulated Nathan Henry on his
outstanding win.
“Our rural teachers are doing a great job in preparing students for life on the land, which will always be very challenging and also very rewarding,” Mr Schwenke said.
“I congratulate Nathan and wish him every success in the national finals in Sydney next March.”
SQIT Warwick rural teacher Kellie Monckton believed Nathan’s gold medal win would be a great confidence boost for her promising student.
“It’s a really well deserved win for Nathan, he is a good example of a well-balanced rural teenager and he deserves to reap rewards like this,” Ms Monckton said.
“His achievement was a highlight of our Warwick TAFE Open Day, which hosted the state WorldSkills finals for the first time.”
This event attracted people from many regional areas and gave local staff a unique opportunity to showcase the extensive agricultural training facilities on Warwick campus.
“Quite a few visitors said they were very impressed with the number of practical training areas we have, such as the fully equipped shearing floor,” Ms Monckton said.
If you are interested in
competing or would like more details, contact the South Queensland WorldSkills project officer Megan Stevens on (07) 4694 1351 or Megan.Stevens@deta.qld.gov.au