TAFE Gippsland plumbing student Sebastian Battista from Moe is gearing up for the tip of a lifetime, representing Australia in plumbing at the 47th WorldSkills Competition.
Sebastian was part of a cohort of young tradespeople to take part in the Empowering Skills Excellence briefing session for government advisors at Parliament House in Canberra last week, which included the unveiling of the 2024 Skillaroo uniform to be worn by Team Australia.
Sebastian is preparing himself to compete in the Australian team in Lyon, France in September.
Employed in the family business, Battista Plumbing, Sebastian is juggling work with competition preparation to ensure he puts his best foot forward at the event.
And he thinks he’s in for a good shot.
“I’m feeling reasonably confident,” Sebastian said.
“I’ve definitely learnt through the earlier competitions to keep my cool, because if you get flustered nothing really works out.
“My bending and measuring has definitely improved since the National competition and my time management is definitely better.”
TAFE Gippsland plumbing teacher Peter Quinn will be accompanying Sebastian to France and thinks the WorldSkills experience has been a fantastic experience for Sebastian.
“WorldSkills has brought Seb out of his shell, he’s doing well and he’s owning it,” he said.
“He’s up against it in France because he will be up against competitors who train flat-out, they don’t work they just train full-time, but I think Seb will give it a damn good show because he will hone those skills.”
The 47th WorldSkills Competition will begin in Lyon, France on 10 September.
Caption: Sebastian Battista (second from left) at the unveiling of the 2024 Skillaroo uniform to be worn at WorldSkills with Commonwealth Minister for Skills and Training, The Hon Breanda O’Connor, other participants at the Empowering Skills Excellence event at Parliament House, Canberra.