LIGHT vehicle mechanic Elliott Lemon has won an elite scholarship which will see him working with a leading racing team in China.
Four Queenslanders received scholarships from the Queensland Overseas Foundation in a ceremony at Parliament House on March 15.
The scholarships allow vocational training graduates to live and work overseas for up to two years and were presented by Governor of Queensland and QOF patron, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey.
Mr Lemmon, 21, received the Queensland Automotive Trades Scholarship and will work in Shanghai with Absolute Racing.
"The scholarship gives me enough funding to relocate to another country for two years and gain experience in my trade so I can learn how other cultures and countries do things," he said.
"For me as a mechanic, that's pretty big."
While Mr Lemmon will be based in Shanghai, he will have the opportunity to travel to races across the world.
His 2019 calendar includes races in Korea, Thailand and Japan.
"I just came back from working with (Absolute Racing) in Malaysia," he said.
"It was very different to what I'm used to.
"The track and facilities there are out of this world (and) I got to work with some of the most expensive gear in the world.
"The team sort of throws you in the deep end and you learn as you go. It's either sink or swim."
Queensland Overseas Foundation chair Geoff Favell said the awards not only benefitted individual winners but also Queensland industries in the long term.
"The (awards) enable exceptional Queensland vocational education and training personnel to travel overseas and test their abilities against the best in the world," Mr Favell said.
"Past recipients have returned to very senior positions in Queensland companies or started their own successful businesses."
"These awards are ... (invaluable) to the communities and education settings they return to."
Mr Lemmon, who was named Motor Trades Association of Queensland's 2017 Apprentice of the Year while working at Greg Tunstall Mechanical in Ormiston, said he hoped he would gain a new set of skills while in China.
"To be competitive (in racing), you have to think on your feet, you have to make decisions quickly," he said.
"Being mechanically minded is one thing, but working with completely different cars that need different applications, you have to understand it.
"With the level of money that's involved (in racing), you have to make the right decisions."