In Summary

  • Swinburne had students competing in the 2016 WorldSkills Australia National Competition
  • Melinda Lethbridge awarded gold in the category of Fitting and Turning
  • More than 500 competitors aged 16-24 year from across the country competed across 60 skills

Swinburne graduate Melinda Lethbridge has taken out gold at the 2016 WorldSkills Australia National Competition, in the category of Fitting and Turning.

Ms Lethbridge will now have the chance to compete in the WorldSkills international competition, being held in Abu Dhabi next year.

Ms Lethbridge has found much success in her trade since beginning a Certificate 3 in Engineering - Mechanical Trade at Swinburne’s Croydon campus in 2013.  

Melinda Lethbridge stands with one of the trades teachers

In 2014 she was named Australian Apprentice of the Year and earlier this year she travelled to China for International Women’s Day where she spoke about apprenticeships as a career path.

“I began my apprenticeship the day after my final VCE exam. I’ve always been fascinated with how things work and found that an apprenticeship in Fitting and Machining provided a good balance between mental challenges and hands-on work,” Ms Lethbridge says.

Swinburne’s other involvement in WorldSkills

Swinburne students also competed at WorldSkills 2016 in the advanced manufacturing and visual merchandising categories.

The advanced manufacturing students participated in a showcase that saw them develop a working robot that could retrieve boxes, based on colour.

A group of Swinburne and staff stand together at World Skills Day

About WorldSkills

WorldSkills Australia is the nation’s premier platform for showcasing trades and skills through regional and national competitions. This year’s National Competition saw more than 500 competitors aged 16-24 years from across the country competing across 60 skills.