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    Media release

    TAFE NSW Miller | 19 May 2025

    A man at a construction site walking up stairs

    Lismore man carves out new career path with TAFE NSW stonemasonry course

    “I knew I’d found my calling as soon as I started. It really has changed my life.”

    Shane McKay

    A Lismore man has credited TAFE NSW with helping him turn his life around and launch a promising career as a stonemason.

    Shane McKay, 23, a proud Widjabul Wia-bal and Arakwal man, was working as a delivery driver and struggling to find purpose when his sister suggested he explore apprenticeship options.

    Eager to find an in-demand career, he stumbled upon stonemasonry and was offered a week’s trial with Ballina’s B&H Stone. He immediately fell in love with the profession and is now a successful third-year apprentice, with plans to eventually open his own business.

    “I was doing nothing with my life and it got to the point where my sister demanded I find a more solid career,” Mr McKay said. “I knew I’d found my calling as soon as I started. It really has changed my life.”

    Shane McKay standing in a workshop wearing a bright orange t-shirt, earmuffs around his neck and a mask on his head.

    An ageing workforce and intense competition for skilled labour in the construction industry has contributed to a growing shortage of stonemasons nationally. TAFE NSW Miller, the only training organisation in NSW to teach the trade, is addressing the shortage by training the next generation of stonemasons.

    Now a third-year apprentice with Ballina’s B&H Stone, Mr McKay crafts and installs kitchen benchtops by cutting, shaping, and polishing natural or engineered stone materials.

    TAFE NSW Miller, the only training organisation in NSW to teach the trade, is addressing the shortage by training the next generation of stonemasons.

    Now a third-year apprentice with Ballina’s B&H Stone, Mr McKay crafts and installs kitchen benchtops by cutting, shaping, and polishing natural or engineered stone materials. “It’s a great feeling working on a marble or granite top all week and then fitting it at a job and seeing the reaction of the client,” he said.

    Mr McKay attends TAFE NSW Miller seven times a year for one week “blocks” of learning, and said his time at TAFE NSW had been invaluable in developing him as a tradesman. “Going to TAFE NSW is a whole different ball game because I’m able to use tools, like a chisel and hammer, that I just wouldn’t use normally,” he said. “It’s really broadened my skill set and built my confidence.”

    He said he would eventually like to start his own business, building rock and sandstone walls at residential properties. TAFE NSW Miller Head Teacher of Stonemasonry Michael Landers said TAFE NSW stonemasonry graduates were in such high demand, he regularly fielded calls from employers.

    “It’s a great industry and one that many TAFE NSW graduates have built rewarding careers in,” Mr Landers said. “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 $1597.

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

     

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