APPRENTICE tiler Joel Hartley has been profoundly deaf since birth but does not let that get in the way of his work.
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The Lavington man, 21, was named best overall apprentice by his TAFE teachers this month.
His boss Robert Auel, of A and R Tiling in Baranduda said the award was very fitting, but Mr Hartley was not about to let it go to his head.
“I’m just going to keep on working hard,” Mr Hartley said.
“I wanted to be a tiler because I wanted a job that was one-on-one.
“I will never be able to own my own business because I’m deaf, so I will just keep working with Rob ... if he’ll have me.”
Mr Auel said since Mr Hartley started working with him in 2005 he had constantly exceeded his expectations.
“He’s an excellent apprentice,” he said.
“At first I didn’t think it would work because he can’t tell when things like the angle grinder are on because he can’t hear it.
“But it turned out I just had to train him like I would anybody else who had no experience with power tools.
“He’s better than any other apprentices. If I have an appointment or something and have to leave him, he just keeps working and doesn’t slack off.”
The well-known Lavington Football Club player is in the fourth and final year of his apprenticeship, which he is doing through Holmesglen TAFE in Melbourne.
TAFE also awarded him the apprentice of the year award in the first and second years of his apprenticeship.
