Chris McNally of Macleay Island has kept his cool, since winning silver at the national level of the WorldSkills championships, in the refrigeration and air conditioning category on June 4.
He joined three other Redland tradies, carpenter Jarrod Quigley and vocational educational training in schools students Jack Buttersworth and Ewan Sheen in the three-day championships against a field of 400 apprentices. The apprentices competed in more than 50 skills with Queenslanders claiming 17 medals.
CSQ CEO Brett Schimming praised Chris, Jarrod, Jack and Ewan for their dedication and commitment to training.
“Queensland should be very proud of these outstanding young tradesmen who has put in many hours of hard work to develop their skills and perfect their craft. The exceptional array of talent on show within the Queensland competitors suggests our construction industry has a bright and exciting future,” he said.
Mr Schimming said that training provided through CSQ helped further Queensland tradies to progress their careers and lead to exciting initiatives like this event.
“It is vital that the Queensland construction industry invests in training to support the future of the industry, not only during an apprenticeship but as part of a lifelong learning journey. The industry needs to encourage tradespeople like Chris, Jarrod, Jack and Ewan to upskill through further training so that they can continue to remain competitive and meet the changing skills needed in the industry today and tomorrow.”
McNally will now vie for a position in the WorldSkills International Competition to be held in Kazan, Russia in 2019.
WorldSkills Australia is a social enterprise that is the leading voice for skills excellence in vocational, technological and service oriented careers in Australia. More on worldskills.org.au