COL MANN Engineering apprentice Stephen Rogan has been judged the best apprentice welder in the New England region and will compete in the national World Skills Australia Challenge.
A fourth year boilermaking apprentice, Rogan started working with the engineering firm when he was 15, after working with metal and welding at home.
According to the company, apprentices work on a range of equipment, from household appliances, to bulldozers and graders.
Rogan says the varied challenges offered by the engineering company gave him the skills to win first place in the region. He also attended a training camp at Wollongong with the rest of the NSW team.
The company says a good welder must be able to visualise the expected outcome and maintain concentration in less than desirable conditions.
The national competition will be held in Sydney from 11 July to 13 July. It will involve welding together a pressure vessel in eight hours. The weld will be judged according to smoothness and subjected to a pressure test of up to 1000 psi.

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