Plasterer Luke Best still calls his TasTAFE teachers on a semi-regular basis.
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Not because his education wasn’t up to scratch, but because his teachers still have the best up-to-date knowledge about his industry.
Mr Best graduated from TasTAFE about four years ago and credits his success to his time there.
He shared his story as part of The Examiner’s Pick up the Tools campaign.
“I really did learn a lot there, one of my teachers ran his own business and it encouraged me to take that step,” Mr Best said.
“They really knew what they were talking about, they had worked in the industry before.”
Named Apprentice of the Year in his second year of training, Mr Best said TasTAFE helped him follow his dreams.
“I still use the skills that I learned there in my business today,” he said.
The apprentice cycle has gone full circle at Luke Best Plastering, with Mr Best employing apprentice Jarrod Scott to help him with his growing job list.
“I used to have two apprentices, but now I only have one,” Mr Best said.
“I think it’s important to employ apprentices because you can teach them the best ways of working.”
He said while it was hard to find “good” apprentices, the ones you did find were worth their weight in gold.
“We try to get kids straight out of high school,” he said.
“They are young and eager and willing to learn.”
He said the best part about employing apprentices was you could teach them your ways of working.
Mr Best said TasTAFE not only provided him with invaluable practical skills, but it also gave him the opportunity to network with others.
“I have good contacts with builders now,” he said.
Work has been a constant flow for Mr Best, who does residential plastering across the North-West.
He said he fell into plastering after wanting to follow his father into the building trade.
“I was very interested in trades early on, I think it helps when your parents are involved,” he said.
Luke Best Plastering’s partnership with TasTAFE is ongoing, with each of his apprentices expected to attend TAFE in Hobart four weeks a year as part of their apprenticeship.