Patrick was destined for a trade career

“I liked working outdoors and working with timber and it just progressed from there through school,” he said.

Patrick is employed by Roberts Builders in Cobden and works on everything from custom built new homes to renovations and sheds.

“You get a good variation in the different types of work that you do. One day you might be doing a bathroom and the next you might be framing a new home. It’s great variety,” he said.

Patrick said he enjoyed trade school at South West TAFE and was rewarded with winning the 2023 Carpentry Apprentice of the Year at the Trades Awards night in October.

He said he was thinking about taking his education to the next level and enrolling in the Certificate IV in Building with South West TAFE in the future.

“After a few more years of experience I might look at getting registered, but we’ll see what the next few years bring,” he said.