A Hillside apprentice plumber has returned home with a gold medal from the biennial Tradies Olympics.
Plumbing category winner Dylan Di Martino joined hundreds of Australia’s top apprentices and trainees in Perth last month to showcase their talent in about 50 trade categories, from beauty care to welding, in the National WorldSkills competition.
Mr Di Martino, 21, who studies at Victoria University’s Sunshine campus, had to install kitchen, laundry and bathroom plumbing in a mock home in three days.
“The expectations are high and there’s no room for error. I made a few minor mistakes on the third day and was convinced I couldn’t win because we were all within five points of each other until the end.”
Next year, the third-year apprentice, who works at Paul’s Plumbing Service, will join Australia’s national team, the Skillaroos, to compete at the International WorldSkills competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Mr Di Martino said his father Paul, a long-time plumber who inspired him to pick up the trade, watched the awards online.
“As soon as the presentations were finished he messaged me about how proud he was,” he said.
Mr Di Martino was one of three VU students to win medals at the event.
Steven Diberardino won silver in the joinery category and Clinton Levy received a bronze in signage.
