Episode Details

Every now and then a guest walks onto the pod and you walk away genuinely fired up about the future of this industry.

Lewis Italiano is one of those guests.

He's a carpenter from WA, still finishing his apprenticeship, and already has a resume most blokes twice his age don't come close to. Gold at the regional and national WorldSkills competitions. A Medallion for Excellence representing Australia on the international stage in Lyon. Training stints through China, Japan and France. Master Builders Apprentice of the Year for 2025. WA Training Awards winner. And in between all that, he's standing up in front of high school students and parents talking about why the trades are one of the most future-proof career paths in the country.

This is the first apprentice we've ever had on The Good Builder, and Az sat down with Lewis to unpack the mindset, the work ethic, and the standards behind a story that everyone in the industry should be paying attention to.

We get into where it all started on the family dairy farm, why woodwork class in year 11 changed everything, and the realities of starting an apprenticeship on $350 a week. Lewis breaks down what WorldSkills actually is, what it's like representing your country against 1,600 competitors from 60 nations, and why he believes Australia is still on the back foot when it comes to celebrating the craft.

We also talk about the stigma parents still carry around the trades, why mindset matters more than money in the early years, and what builders and supervisors can do to attract and keep the next generation of apprentices on their teams.

If you're a builder looking for the kind of apprentice you actually want on your crew, this is what one looks like.

If you're a young person sitting on the fence about which path to take, listen to this one twice.

What We Cover

• Growing up on a dairy farm and where Lewis's work ethic actually came from
• Falling in love with the craft through high school woodwork
• The reality of apprentice wages and why mindset beats money in the early years
• What WorldSkills is, how you get there, and what it's like competing internationally
• Representing Australia in Lyon, France against 1,600 competitors from 60 countries
• Winning Master Builders Apprentice of the Year 2025 and what it actually meant
• Speaking at Parliament House and why advocacy matters for the future of the trades
• The stigma parents still hold around the trades and how to shift it
• Why AI won't be replacing tradies any time soon
• What makes a good apprentice and what builders should look for in their next hire
• Lewis's plans to take on a second trade, build his own home, and keep mentoring the next generation

Sponsor Callouts

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