1. What was your motivation in participating in the MTC competition?

The opportunity to prove the Team and myself in an international event.

2. What was the biggest thing you learned from MTC?

Even though it was a team event it taught me to trust my own judgement and to believe in myself.

3. Would you recommend the MTC and WorldSkills competitions to others? What would you tell them about it?

I would definitely recommend the MTC to others and even though it was early days for the MTC when I competed in 2001, I believe the vision or real life approach of the MTC is the way of the Worldskills future. I would tell them that learning how to manufacture something according to specification cheaper than anyone else is invaluable.

4. What experiences have you had since the competition?

I was offered and completed a technical traineeship with Bosch Australia and am now working with them as an Industrial engineer. Apart from that nothing work related that competes with the Worldskills experience, it's pretty hard to beat.

5. What are you doing in your job at the moment ?

Industrial Engineering.

6. Do you have any advice for this year’s competitors?

Make sure you completely understand the specification and build exactly what is being asked for even if you don’t agree with it. Be intuitive and think outside the square, it's a massive advantage of being young. Use all available resources. Make sure you have built and tested a full set of prototypes in conditions simulated as closely as possible to the actual event before you go to the competition. Be proactive, don’t wait to be told what to do, you should be spending every spare moment you have before the competition in preparation.

7. Is there anything else you want to tell me about the competition?

It's a great experience to meet some life long friends and to develop the skills and experience to open your own business in the future.

8. What did MTC really mean for you?

It made me more confident.

9. How would you describe MTC in one or two words?

A brilliant experience.