Troy Gudgeon wins 2014 Master Builders Diploma Student of the Year
In Summary
Troy Gudgeon has been awarded Diploma Student of the Year at the Master Builders Association of Victoria, Apprentice of the Year Awards in Melbourne.
Currently working as a foreman for Hacer, a multimillion dollar commercial construction company, Troy completed his Diploma of Building and Construction at Swinburne University of Technology in 2013.
“I was honestly surprised to win the award, there was some stiff competition!” Troy said.
For Troy, the diploma was a foot in the door to building and construction, having previously worked in management positions in the hospitality industry.
“The diploma was the perfect balance between work and study; I had the flexibility to complete it at my own pace which was brilliant in terms of juggling it with work,” he said.
“The teachers in the course were extremely supportive, not only were they involved in the construction world, they were able to put me in touch with my current employer, Hacer.”
Jane Clancy, Advanced Building Studies teacher at Swinburne, said Troy was a standout student who was motivated and willing to go the extra mile to achieve his study and work goals.
“We identified Troy as a clear candidate for the Master Builders award as he was determined to move up the ladder, which is not always easy in our industry,” Ms Clancy said.
“In a short time Troy achieved success through sheer persistence, which was also reflected in his attitude to achieving his diploma. Troy’s employer, Hacer, has been great by supporting their employees who wish to obtain a recognised national qualification.”
Swinburne’s industry based Diploma of Building was developed in 2012 in response to a clear need for flexible training options for full time employees in building and construction.
The course involves individualised training programs that are a mix of classroom, on-line and on-site visits, using real life workplace examples and industry networks to maintain best practice.
Organisations are able to use the program to identify talent within their existing workforce, such as site foreman who are ready to take on more responsibility.
This is the second time since the program began in 2012 that a Swinburne student has won the Master Builders Association of Victoria, Diploma of the Year award.