From the moment Luke walked into the workshop at RTW earlier this year, he knew he was in the right place.
As a new apprentice boilermaker, he was eager to get stuck into the trade and master hands-on skills that would set him up for a solid career.
“I thought that it would be a really handy skill to have, and I’ve just always been interested in it,” Luke explains.
Starting something new often comes with a few nerves, but for Luke, the excitement outweighed any hesitation.
“When I first started, I felt more excited and not really that nervous because everyone here is really great.”
Boilermaking is more than working with metal—it requires careful planning, strong maths skills, and a keen eye for detail.
“You have to do a lot of thinking and use a lot of maths to figure stuff out,” Luke said.
“There is much more to learn about everything than people first think, especially welding.”
Welding, in particular, has been one of his biggest challenges, but he enjoys tackling new techniques.
His day begins with opening the shed doors, firing up the compressor, and checking the forklifts. From there, his tasks vary—sometimes he works alongside another apprentice or tradie, other times he handles smaller jobs independently.
The support of his team has made a big difference.
“Everyone is really nice and good to get along with, and they teach me a lot of different things, but I think the workshop boss, Rhys, has had a big impact on my learning,” he said.
Next on his list is mastering stick welding. His ultimate goal is to sharpen his technical skills, build reliability, and become highly skilled in welding.
“My biggest goal is to be as best I can be and hopefully be a reliable person. It would also be great to be an excellent welder,” Luke said.