With one of the most variable rainfall climates in the world, severe drought is not uncommon in Australia. Particularly in the inland areas of New South Wales, where WorldSkills Champion Clinton Larkings is from, extended dried periods are likely to become more frequent due to climate change.

“In New South Wales we have to be careful of our water use. We just lived through one of the worst prolonged droughts on record and during this time water was a precious resource. Water restriction and usage was monitored to ensure water waste was kept to a minimum,” explains Clinton, a WorldSkills Kazan 2019 Champion and Sustainability Award winner in Industrial Mechanic Millwright.

He currently works as a fitter and turner at a repair machine shop, where they fix, repair and manufacture new parts for a wide range of industries including agriculture, manufacturing, or mining.

Clinton has been implementing at his workplace the environmentally friendly practices -such as waste management and material disposal - learnt as part of his education at TAFE, Australia’s Technical and Further Education Institution.

“We recycle what we can whenever possible from the resources and consumables we use at work. For example, we recycle out steel waste to a local scrap metal steel company and collect all our waste oil to send it away for recycling,” he says.

“When we are use materials to make parts at work such a steel, bronze, aluminum, and nylon we try to use as little material as possible to complete the job to reduce unnecessary waste.”

As Clinton puts it, his skill is a “jack of all trades” that is important in the fight against climate change.

“As its heavily involved in maintaining and installation of equipment in industry, we ensure equipment can run effectively and efficiently. If an environmental issue rises such as a gearbox leaking oil, the Industrial Mechanic Millwright can diagnose, remove, repair and reinstall the repaired gearbox,” says Clinton.

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