Media release

“School was not really good for me and even though I always wanted to be a stonemason, my teacher said there was no way I’d be able to get through my TAFE NSW studies,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge and I was nervous about it. But the support I’ve had here has been amazing and without it, I would have taken a lot longer to get through the course.

“If I ever get stuck on something or just start feeling nervous, my disability assistant is always there to get me through it.”

Mr Petruzzella is a fourth-generation stonemason, with his great-great-grandfather owning a stone quarry in Italy before the family emigrated to Australia, and his grandfather founding Italian Monuments in Lidcombe. Mr Petruzzella is a second-year apprentice stonemason at the business run by his mother, which specialises in making and restoring stone monuments in cemeteries. Eager to learn how to do the trade the “old-fashioned way”, his mother encouraged him to study at TAFE NSW.

As part of his disability support at TAFE NSW Miller, he was given two orientation sessions at TAFE NSW Miller before the course even started to familiarise him with the campus and put him at ease.

He initially received intensive disability support in both practical and theory classes. That support was so successful that Franco now attends practical classes independently and requires very little support in theory sessions.

“It was always going to be challenging for Franco to transfer from school to an adult learning environment and we knew he needed intensive support to set him up for success,” TAFE NSW Manager of Disability and Access Services Nicole Linnegar said. “He’s gone from a quiet and shy student at the start to an outgoing and talkative student now.

“He really is a young man that’s proven everyone wrong.”

TAFE NSW Miller Head Teacher of Stonemasonry Michael Landers said Mr Petruzzella’s transformation was a testament to his own determination and the power of disability support.

“He’s a completely different person to the one that walked in here as a first-year,” Mr Landers said.

“It’s a great industry and one I’m sure Franco will build a rewarding career in.

“It’s extremely gratifying to create things with your hands that will last longer than you do and knowing you can help preserve these magnificent old buildings or help a grieving family cherish the memory of loved ones.”

According to Jobs and Skills Australia, there are about 27,100 stonemasons employed nationally, with median weekly earnings of $1,597.

Media contact: Daniel Johns, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 02 7920 5000.

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