Brandon was stunned by his 2016 TVET Student of the Year award after initially being told he wasn’t eligible.

“They actually told me I couldn’t get it because I left school and became a mechanic,” he said. However a last minute decision by the judges recognised that the rules had changed.

“That all changed within the matter of a week, and when they told me I actually didn’t think it was real – because I wasn’t allowed to get it!” he said.

Brandon felt his transition from studying automotive with Glen Innes TAFE to becoming a mechanical technician at Glen Severn Holden may have helped him stand out. He was proud of turning his studies into a viable career.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mechanic, my whole life, and that was just a starting path for me,” Brandon said. Growing up with a love for cars, the TAFE course simply sharpened Brandon’s career focus.

“My goal is still today to own my own shop,” he said. 

He loved the sense of accomplishment he felt as a mechanic.

“You see them come in and they don’t run and then when you drive them out the door, you get that achievement that you’ve actually done something,” he said.

“You pass a car and you can actually say ‘I fixed that’ or ‘I built that’. And that’s me every day.”

TAFE NSW regional general manager Kate Baxter congratulated all the nominees for “achieving a level of personal, and professional, excellence”. 

“We could not maintain our reputation as the leading training provider in our communities if it were not for the dedication, knowledge and commitment of our staff and the loyalty of our students.”