Taking the plunger
![Mark Thistlewhite.](https://content.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/styles/vu_large_16_9/public/images/2022-07/mark-thistlewhite.jpg?h=7858587d&itok=_oXWUqk1)
My training with VU Polytechnic was fantastic. The staff are skilled, knowledgeable, experienced and ready to help.
Mark Thistlewhite
Certificate III in Plumbing CPC32420, Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services CPC40920
Mature-age apprentice Mark Thistlewhite decided to leave cooking for plumbing and hasn't looked back.
"At 16, I was a head chef at a small seafood restaurant in England. I moved to Australia in 1996 to work as a chef at Crown Casino.
"As a kid I always wanted to be a plumber, and in 2011, I began an apprenticeship with Auscool Air Conditioning and Mechanical Services.
"My training with VU Polytechnic has been fantastic. The staff are skilled, knowledgeable, experienced and ready to help.
"I won the City West Water Environment Award at the Master Plumbers Gold Medal and Training Awards after completing all 10 Green Plumber courses offered by Master Plumbers.
"I have a real passion for the environment and Green Plumbing is all about that. The environmental courses are an eye opener where I'm learning about new technology materials and training every day."
Mark studied
- Certificate III in Plumbing CPC32408 (now offered as Certificate III in Plumbing CPC32420)
- Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services CPC40911 (superseded by Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services CPC40920)
Find out more about plumbing courses at VU Polytechnic.