A promising young mechanic is gearing up to represent Australia at the WorldSkills International Championship in Lyon, France from September 10-15.
Thomas Bevan from Iraak, Victoria is just 20 years old but has already achieved so much, winning the gold medal at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship last year.
Thomas is hoping to do the country proud on the world stage as he showcases his talents in the Heavy Vehicle Technology category.
“We had a practise competition in Melbourne in July with China, Austria and Korea and I ended up placing second,” he told Big Rigs.
“That was a bit of a confidence boost, so I’m feeling less nervous and more excited now.”
The WorldSkills International Championship takes place over four days, with young “Skillaroos”, competing across a wide range of disciplines, from bricklaying to bakery.
Thomas will be put to the test across six modules, including engine disassembly, machine undercarriage inspection and more.
“For the first module you’ve got to pre-deliver a truck or a machine, and they don’t really tell you what it is in advance,” Thomas explained.
“So, you can’t practise too much – you’ve got to know your stuff.”
When he’s not competing, Thomas works as an apprentice with the Mildura Truck Centre.
Although he’s barely out of his teens, he has impressed his employers so much that he’s been looking after the centre’s on-call, after-hours service for the past two years.
“What I do on a day-to-day basis is pretty advanced for an apprentice, I’d say!
“With the on-call work, sometimes you’ll get told minimal information and the customer might be hours from Mildura.
“You have to suss out what you need, organise everything and try to make it all happen.
“Sometimes I’ll get stuck without a part I need, but most of the time, I’m able to make it work and the customers are happy.”
Thomas is grateful to his bosses for giving him so many opportunities to learn, as well as for their support as he gets ready for the WorldSkills competition.
“They have been really supportive, and anything I need, they have made sure they get it for me.
“Some of the modules in the competition focus on earthmoving and agricultural equipment, but we don’t do much of that at work.
“So, they sent me to Caterpillar and I’ve done hydraulic training in Melbourne and Tasmania, which has been really valuable.
“I have learned new skills and knowledge which I can apply to my day-to-day job as well.”
Thomas has completed a four-year TAFE course in mechanics and will officially qualify in November.
Another huge source of support has been his TAFE teacher Will Sharpe, who was quick to recognise his protégé’s talents.
“Will suggested nominating me for WorldSkills and I didn’t really know what it was at the time, but I agreed to it,” said Thomas.
“Since then, he has been the main person helping me.
“He’s travelled to be there for different competitions and training camps and he’ll be coming to France with us as well, which is great.”
As a teenager, Thomas wasn’t sure what direction to take – working part-time at a KFC while washing trucks for a local transport company.
“I’ve always had an interest in trucks and machinery,” he said.
“I originally wanted to be a panel beater and I went for some work experience in that area but didn’t end up getting through.
“Then I decided to go for a week’s work experience at the Mildura Truck Centre.
“They were pretty happy with me and asked me to come back for another week, then offered me an apprenticeship. I’ve been there ever since!”
He’s so glad that things worked out the way they did.
“I love the variety of my job – every day is different,” he said.
“You have responsibility to fix things and you can’t just hand them off to someone else, which forces you to learn.
“I would like to encourage younger people to get into the trade and pursue some of the things I have done.
“When I started, I never knew any of this was possible.”
Thomas’s vigour and determination hasn’t come from nowhere, as a family tragedy in 2019 led him to change his perspective on life.
“I have an older brother who was an electrician in Western Australia,” he said.
“In 2019, he had a tragic accident in Bali where he fell off a scooter.
“He was in a coma for four weeks, and he has been left with a permanent brain injury.
“It made me realise that every day could be your last, and you have to make the most out of it.”
A fundraiser has been set up to help send Thomas and the rest of the Australian WorldSkills team to France for the competition. To donate, visit wsa2024.gofundraise.com.au.