Apprentice of the Year (2006); chose VU for the technical nature of its courses; now plays a key role at Holden’s engine building plant

"I chose to study at VU because it was the most technically oriented campus offering the Certificate III and IV TAFE courses in electrotechnology systems.

I got an apprenticeship with Holden straight out of school,and studying at VU was a great mix of on and off-the-job training. I even won the Outstanding Student of the Year - Apprentice at the 2006 Victorian Training Awards.

The co-ordinators regularly update the course content and equipment so they are in touch with what industry is doing, so we were well looked after in that regard. Holden is in constant contact with VU to help them develop the program to suit their needs.

That's been invaluable because we work on complex systems here to produce V6 engines for cars all over the world. The manufacturing technology is always being updated too, with the development of more fuel-efficient engines.

My work is involved with maintaining the computerised industrial control systems and keeping the machinery running efficiently at all times to meet that demand.

In the meantime, I'm pushing forward with my studies. Now, I'm doing the Advanced Diploma in Engineering - Principal Technical Officer. That's the beauty of Victoria University's TAFE: the pathways are there for you to move forward after you get the initial qualifications."