Lurenzo came to Australia in 2018 and has fallen in love with Melbourne and some of its classic residential buildings. He is now working successfully as a carpenter building classrooms for primary and secondary schools across the state. 

He studied the Certificate III in Carpentry and then the Diploma of Building and Construction at Orange College, where his teachers showed Lurenzo just how critical a focus on detail could be. As they often say, ‘measure twice, cut once’, so he learnt that if the team gets a measurement wrong for a steel frame, it needs to be taken out, replaced, and becomes a very costly mistake. Staying safe at work is a critical priority, and he was made fully ready for that by his trainers, as the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) levels and basic requirements of every worksite were really emphasized during his course at Orange College.

Born in Yixi, China, Lurenzo, who started out as a tour bus driver in Melbourne, had a chance to drive all over Victoria. While making his way across the state, he saw first-hand many century-old residences and varying styles of architecture. The older timber-framed houses really impressed him, as he had never seen them before.

With the lockdowns of 2020 and major disruptions to the international travel industry, it was time for a change of direction. Lurenzo decided to move into one of the few industries that never sleeps—construction.

Lurenzo recommends that new and current international and local students consider doing some casual part-time work on construction sites, both big and small, as a way to prepare for full-time work in Australia as a tradesman. The best way to learn is to jump in and ‘get your hands dirty’.