Ross Neylon never looked back after joining St Patrick’s Technical College at the end of Year 10.

Ross is a qualified Diesel Mechanic and with his employer, Central Diesel, he completed his apprenticeship while working on major oil and gas projects in South Australia and Queensland.

He believes St Patrick’s Technical College set him on the path to success but is also grateful to the teacher at his previous school who advised him to join St Patrick’s and recognised it would give him the best start to a trades’ based career.

“St Patrick’s understands the needs of industry and align their curriculum and training to the real world,” said Ross.

“Even for Maths, English and Science, the lessons are geared towards the world of work and use industry applications to teach core subjects, which makes learning fun and highly relevant.

“I successfully completed my SACE and I’m sure my results were much better because I was learning about these subjects in the context of something I was passionate about.

“The teachers are highly motivated and come from industry so inspire your learning and development by making you aware of the opportunities available to you in the future.

“The practical training provided at the College is undertaken in facilities and using machinery of industry standard and this makes it easier when transitioning from work experience to a school-based apprenticeship and then full-time employment.

“St Patrick’s was one of the best decisions I’ve made, gave me a real head start and meant I graduated at a more advanced level than students attending a normal school.”

Ross was one of the first graduates of St Patrick’s Technical College and is now one of hundreds more enjoying a successful trades’ based career.