Cooper Thornely discovered his love of welding at age 12.
Mr Thornely, a 21-year-old graduate from the Canberra Institute of Technology and a recently qualified boilermaker, will represent Australia on the world stage next week at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai.
The competition, known as the Olympics of vocational skills, is held every two years with more than 80 countries competing.
Almost 40 young Australian apprentices, under 24 years of age, will go to Shanghai as part of the "Skillaroos" this year.
The Skillaroos will compete in more than 30 events, including cyber security, beauty therapy, industrial mechanics, and bricklaying.
Mitch Pirie, acting chief executive officer of CIT, said the success of both competitors spoke to the support they received during their education.
Mr Thornely has been training for the WorldSkills Competition for almost a year while also working at Alfec Industrial Engineering in Yass.
Before training began, Mr Thornely's journey to the "skills Olympics" started in 2024 with a gold medal at a regional WorldSkills competition in Canberra.
In 2025, he received a Certificate of Excellence at the WorldSkills Australia National Championship, as well as Weld Australia's Young Trades Person of the Year.
Mr Thornely will fly to Shanghai on Friday and begin the four-day welding event next Wednesday, September 23.