TAFE students Ieisha Makkulawu and Casandra Somerville shine at WorldSkills Australia National Championships

TAFE students Ieisha Makkulawu and Casandra Somerville have won medals at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships. The WorldSkills Australia National Championships brings vocational education students from across the country together to showcase their skills and compete against their peers. Karratha resident Ms Somerville collected a silver medal in commercial cookery and Port Hedland resident Ms Makkulawu collected a bronze medal in retail baking at the event held in Perth on August 28 and 29. Ms Somerville said she was nominated to compete in the WorldSkills competition by her TAFE tutor. “Even though we did months of practice leading up to the actual competition, I was still definitely nervous, but it was an amazing experience,” she said. “I got to meet a lot of new people that I would never have met if it weren’t for WorldSkills. “I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to show off my skills and compete.” Bronze medallist Ms Makkulawu said she was nervous to compete on the national stage, particularly after the competition was postponed and rescheduled twice in the lead-up due to COVID-19. “I won gold at another apprentice competition two years ago which led me to the WorldSkills National Championships competition, it was nerve-wracking for sure, but it was really, really fun in the end,” she said. Ms Makkulawu began her baking apprenticeship shortly after starting a job at Coles in Geraldton and made the move to Coles South Hedland eight months ago. The WorldSkills Australia National Championships were held at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Satellite events were also held virtually and in Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and the ACT.