WorldSkills Gold Medal for Fashion

Box Hill Institute Certificate II in Applied Fashion student, Veronica won a gold medal at the WorldSkills competition in November.

On the day of the competition, Veronica was first given an illustration of a sleeveless bodice and she had 2.5 hours to produce a pattern for it. Fortunately, Veronica had learned the skills she needed in the first year of her VETDSS course, Modify Patterns to Create Basic Styles.&

Box Hill Institute teaches students how to create their own patterns rather than using commercial patterns and this skill was an asset to Veronica during the competition.

In the second part of the competition, Veronica had to make a pre-cut skirt that included pockets, a zip and waistband. She was able to draw on the skills she gained while completing a Certificate II in Applied Fashion Design and Technologies, which included experience with an industrial machine.

Veronica had 3.5 hours to complete the skirt and finished the task with ample time left.

Box Hill Institute VETDSS trainer and mentor, Irene Kounelis said, "Veronica has been a pleasure to teach and mentor during the two years she's been at Box Hill.

"She has been an outstanding student, always punctual, always submitting work on time and to a quality that was above the expected standard. Her dedication not only to her own work but her focus on being sustainable and considering the environment with everything she did was very pleasing to watch and also inspirational to her peers," she said.

Veronica was an enthusiastic competitor in the WorldSkills competition and, competing with students who had higher qualifications, she was happy to gain the experience.