Robbie Thompson at work in the trade centre.
Camera IconRobbie Thompson at work in the trade centre. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Morley student finds success with practical opportunities at Sevenoaks Senior College

Jessica NicoCanning Gazette

ROBBIE Thompson is finding out first hand that good things can stem from seemingly bad situations.

The 18-year-old Morley resident said he had experienced a disappointing Year 11 that had him staring down the barrel of repeating the year.

Looking for a different path, Mr Thompson enrolled at Sevenoaks Senior College, saying his interest was piqued by the opportunities their Trade Training Centre presented.

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It was a decision that is now paying dividends for the teenager, whose grades and commitment to his Certificate II in Engineering Pathways course has seen him offered a four-year boilermaking apprenticeship, which he began on Wednesday.

“The only subject that I passed at my old school was metalwork so I knew I liked it, and I also went to work experience as a Year 10 and I was shown how to use a MIG welder,” he said.

“I really enjoyed that so I knew I wanted to be a boilermaker and since then I’ve done more work experience and really enjoyed making stuff out of steel and learning the different types of welding.

“Everything we do at Sevenoaks is about having a job or being ready to get a job and I have done a lot better this year with my subjects.

“The opportunity wouldn’t have been there if I’d gone to a different school.”

Sevenoaks Senior College’s Trade Training Centre allows students to study general School Curriculum and Standards Authority courses as well as VET qualifications in Certificate II in Engineering Pathways or in Automotive Vocational Preparation.

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