Mark tops state

By Bridget Cook
A NARRE Warren South man has taken out a top honour at the Master Builders State Apprentice of the Year Awards.
Mark Gubiani, 26, won Student of the Year – Diploma of Building.
He finished his Diploma in Building and Construction at Holmesglen TAFE last year.
He was employed at Becon Constructions in Hallam as the assistant projects manager.
Mr Gubiani said when he finished a carpentry apprenticeship he decided he wanted to take it further.
“I wanted to learn the business side of it so I decided to go back to school and do the Diploma,” he said.
“I have gone from being on-site into the office. You could say I started at the bottom and worked my way up.”
He said while he wasn’t too sure why he received the award, he was proud of his achievement.
“I just did my work and enjoyed it and in the end, it paid off.”
“It’s a great achievement for me. To go from high school and not even knowing what I wanted to do, to getting this far is just overwhelming.”
Mr Gubiani received the award at the Melbourne Park Function Centre in front of more than 650 people.
Master Builder Executive Director Brian Welch congratulated the award winners and finalists for their efforts and discussed the importance of encouraging people to join the next generation of skilled building industry participants.
“Every year, many new apprentices take up trades and discover challenging and fulfilling career opportunities,” he said. “But more talented young people are needed. “To successfully increase Victoria’s skills base, we need to dispel the myths which exist outside the industry and start promoting a more balanced picture.
“Well done to the apprentices recognised at tonight’s awards and I wish them the best for their future careers.”