Tradies from Albany claim gold at WorldSkills Australia National Championships

Three tradies from Albany have taken out gold medals at this year’s WorldSkills Australia National Championships with the winners now in with a chance to compete against the world’s best in China. Dion Hounsfield, Brett Simpson and Jacob Jones were recognised as the best in Australia in their field after their performance at the championships in August, with the winners announced last week. As Australia’s biggest vocational education and excellence competition, the national championships give skilled workers the chance to compete in a high-pressure environment against their peers. Mr Hounsfield began working in signs and graphics with Eyerite Signs in Year 10. Six years later, he is still honing his craft. He won gold in the Signs and Graphics category. “I try to have a fair bit of detail in my designs,” he said. “I made a 3-D illuminated acrylic light box and then I had to design an electrical van layout on the computer and design another couple of projects.” Mr Simpson, from Albany Engineering, won the Turning category at the national championships, showing his skills on the metal lathe. “We had to make what was a very big hammer basically, in simple terms, but it was actually pretty complicated,” he said. “I matched more of the tolerances and measurements (than other competitors). “We were working in between 0.01mm and 0mm.” He has worked in the industry for the past four years, but he has been connected to it since he was a child on the farm. “I’ve grown up on a farm so it’s a good trade to have, to be able to fix machinery,” he said. Taking home gold in the Motorcycle Mechanics category, Mr Jones has been working with motorcycles for four years and completed an apprenticeship with Albany Motorcycles. During the competition he was given three hours to complete challenges that normally take four hours. “I was asked to do a few different things, work on engines, electrical diagnostics and suspension so a range of different things,” Mr Jones said. All three Albany winners are now in with a chance to be invited to the world championships with the Skillaroos in China in October next year. “That would definitely be a cool experience,” Mr Jones said.