Twenty-one-year-old local fabricator Harrison Field is putting his welding skills to the test on the world stage this week, representing Australia at the WorldSkills International Competition in France.

After completing his Certificate III in Engineering Fabrication at TAFE NSW Orange, Harrison wowed judges at the Australian championships in Melbourne and is now preparing to compete in the international championship.

At the competition in France, September 11-14, Harrison will compete against 43 of the best welders from around the world in a series of scored tests, including welding pressure vessels and stainless steel structures.

“I’m nervous to compete in France, but excited to get out there and show my skills,” said Harrison, who has been busy preparing for the competition.

“My boss at AOK Fabrication (Bathurst) has been really good. In the last six weeks, they've given me two days off a week to train full-time. So I work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and train for six hours of an afternoon every day pretty much, and then the other four days of the week, I train 12 hours a day,” Harrison explained.

Harrison said he has always enjoyed tinkering in the shed and making things from scratch and welding seemed a natural career choice.

“Then I had work experience in school and went with a local fabricator and I’ve just loved it from there… seeing something come from nothing is pretty cool, I think,” he said.

It was while at Orange TAFE that his teacher Nathan Kelly encouraged him to consider competing. Nathan said he is proud to see his student now representing Australia.

“Harrison is more than ready to demonstrate his expertise at the WorldSkills International Competition. He has the dedication and skill to really excel,” said Nathan.

“We have a high calibre of apprentices come through TAFE NSW and are proud to see them go on to achieve exceptional heights, like Harrison. We will all be cheering him on.”

Harrison’s employers at AOK Fabrication in Bathurst have been happy to support him throughout his training and preparation.

“Harrison has made the process quite easy for us here, as his commitment, desire and drive are second to none. Only a handful of people get to see the countless hours of training he has put in, after putting in a full day’s work,” said Adam from AOK Fabrication.

“His gold medals at regional and national titles, along with his Weld Australia Young Trades Person of the Year award, are hopefully just the start of the accolades heading his way.”

Before he began competing, Harrison had never travelled outside of Australia before. He says he is still surprised by the opportunities the competition has opened for him.

“We went to America at the start of the year in February for a training competition and then we went to China at the end of June… just to see what the other guys are like and learn a bit off them,” he said.

“I've got an extra two weeks after the competition to spend some time travelling around Europe, which will be really exciting and a good break after all the stress and everything… it's been an awesome experience!”