Apprentices Dylan Cleaver from the New South Wales Northern Rivers region and Robert Polito from Sydney NSW have won gold medals in the Automotive Refinishing and Autobody Repair categories respectively at the 2023 WorldSkills Australia National Championships.
Held in Melbourne from 17 to 19 August, the event showcased talented fields of regional finalists who aimed to secure a spot as a Skillaroo on Team Australia for the 47th WorldSkills Competition in September 2024, which will be held in Lyon, France.
In a poignant moment during this year’s competition, WorldSkills sponsor Axalta paid tribute to the memory of Stuart Aisbett, a former WorldSkills Skillaroo and esteemed staff member, who tragically passed away in June 2020 due to Unexplained Cardiac Death (UCD).
The company introduced the inaugural Stuart Aisbett Award to recognise his exceptional qualities such as attitude, respect, support, and work ethic. The distinguished award was presented to Jake Twyford from Central Victoria, who also secured third place and a bronze medal.
Stuart was a former Skillaroo who earned a silver medal in Vehicle Painting at the international event held in Japan in 2007. Following his success, Stuart joined Axalta and dedicated himself to supporting numerous WorldSkills competitions over the years, consistently displaying an unwavering commitment and an infectious positive attitude.
“As a category sponsor for WorldSkills, we are extremely proud of how each competitor excelled during the three-day competition,” said Paul Polverino, National Training Manager at Axalta. “We have been involved with WorldSkills since 2008 where we were able to help train Stuart Aisbett to compete at the international event, and we are delighted to be supporting WorldSkills and their competitions ever since.”
RESULTS
AUTOMOTIVE REFINISHING
Gold: Dylan Cleaver, Northern Rivers, New South Wales
Silver: Dylan Hoskin, Melbourne, Victoria
Bronze: Jake Twyford, Central Victoria
Certificate of Excellence
Zane Cannon, Central Victoria
Neha Singh, MTA New South Wales
AUTOBODY REPAIR
Gold: Robert Polito, Sydney, New South Wales
Silver: Lockie Hipkins, MTA New South Wales
Bronze: Ali Rezaie, Melbourne, Victoria