We caught up with the Perth-based apprentice tiler to have a yarn about how a TAFE class (and one pretty special lecturer), helped Abraham find a career he never imagined was possible.
For many kids, high school can be tough, and Abraham is the first to admit he struggled to find ambition and focus.
“I started getting lazy in Year 11,” he says. “I was smoking a bit, skipping school and hanging around with the wrong people.”
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Looking at where he is now, it’s hard to believe that 20-year-old Mervyn Abraham once doubted his path. But when we asked him what he’d tell his younger self, his answer was disarmingly simple: “I’d try to motivate myself a bit more, and let him know that eventually, you end up going in the right direction.” It’s a sentiment that perfectly sums up his journey: quiet perseverance that’s led to kicking some serious goals.
Just a year earlier, I never saw myself doing an apprenticeship, I figured I’d just be lying on the couch doing nothing after school.”
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by a2 Milk™ by Anchor™ and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.
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By Morgan Reardon
Meet The Young Tradie Who Rewrote His Future, One Tile At A Time
20 January 2026
FEATURE
On the verge of dropping out completely, things started to shift when Abraham signed up for the VET Delivery to Secondary Students (VETDSS) program, which allows high school students to earn nationally recognised qualifications while still in school. The class explored a range of professions, giving students the chance to sample different career paths. “That’s where I met TAFE WA lecturer Ron Simeon,” Abraham recalls. “He helped me see what else was possible—a different kind of future—and I just jumped on board with it.” During a tiling project, Simeon (a tiler himself) quickly saw that Abraham was a total natural and encouraged him to represent his high school at the WA WorldSkills competition—an event where students compete across a wide range of trades. After impressing the judges with his speed and accuracy, Abraham took out gold, earning a spot on the WA team, and a trip to Melbourne for the national WorldSkills competition.
While we chat to Abraham, he’s elbow-deep in an intricate mosaic for a client’s water feature. His love for the job is clear in the way he proudly—yet humbly—talks about how rewarding it feels to see a challenging project come together. Now two years into his TAFE course and apprenticeship, Abraham is taking his career and dedication to his craft seriously, swapping weekends with his mates for extra shifts on the job site. “I work five days a week, 7am until 3.30pm, but if we’ve got a big project and they need extra help, I’ll always put my hand up,” he says. “Going out doesn’t really fit with what I want for myself and my future.” When we ask what that future looks like, Abraham ponders for a few moments. “I want to be successful,” he offers quietly, remaining low-key despite his rapid rise. “My ultimate goal is to buy a house, and to represent Australia at the international WorldSkills Championships.” From skipping class to standing on the winner’s podium, Abraham’s story is only just getting started, and something tells us there’s more gold to come.
“That was such a cool experience—being in the competition and getting to fly to Melbourne for the first time,” Abraham says. “I went in with the mindset of ‘whatever happens, happens’ and just gave it my best go.”
Up against high school students from across the country, and with only a few tiling classes under his belt, Abraham once again wowed the judges and was awarded gold. By his final year of high school, Abraham had completely changed the course of his life. “After the competition, I really tried to screw my head on properly and finish school,” he explains. One of the first in his family to graduate, Abraham had extra motivation to push through those final months of Year 12.
I have younger siblings who look up to me, so I wanted to show them that if I was capable of it, they were too.”
One of his biggest supporters, Simeon, was there for Abraham’s final school assembly. “He said to me, ‘you can’t win a gold medal in tiling and not at least give it a go as a career’,” Abraham remembers.
A few phone calls later, Simeon had lined up an apprenticeship for him, and just days after finishing school, Abraham’s new chapter began.
While traditional schooling never quite felt like the right fit, studying for his Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling at TAFE WA, while working on the tools as an apprentice, turned out to be the perfect balance for Abraham. “[TAFE] is all about how much effort you put in, you need to motivate yourself and I like that. I find the work pretty easy too.”
When it comes to Maiorano’s ideal menu for summer hosting, veggies are king. “So many vegetables cooked in different ways. Little things: olives, fermented and pickled vegetables.”
Think olive all'ascolana (crumbed olives stuffed with meat filling), beautifully plated burrata and simple salads. And her advice for hosting? Whatever you cook, do it with intention. Make it easy for yourself with no time limit, no alarms, no phone—take your time and do everything with purpose.
Outside of the menu, music sets the tone to any event (Italian disco is her go-to), but above all, make space for real connection. “It’s still very simple,” she says, “It’s all about connection and storytelling, that’s what makes it special.”
