A Narangba apprentice carpenter who had applied to study at USC received the acceptance text while he was on the job – at the University’s new Moreton Bay campus.

It was apt timing for Jacob Butteriss, 18, who was doing manual work at the Petrie site a few months ago for his employer, Brisbane-based subcontractor Axiom Project Services.

“I started working on the USC site in December when Axiom was managing the installation of the public access systems,” said the Narangba Valley State High School 2018 graduate.

“I was doing tasks like tactile paving for visually impaired people, handrails and stair nosing.

“One day I was on smoko and I got a text from USC saying that I’d got in. I thought, ‘you bewdy’, I’m going here to USC.”

Jacob has since been studying and working seven days a week, challenging himself to four subjects of the Tertiary Preparation Pathway program this semester.

“I’m studying academic skills, statistics, ICT and advanced STEM because I’m hoping to get into a civil engineering degree,” he said.

“I’m loving it. It’s a really good environment for studying and because the campus is so close, I’m able to live at home with my parents.

“My mum has plenty of pointers about managing my time and writing assignments because she was the first in our family to go to uni. She’s now a high school teacher.”

Jacob said he continued a school-based apprenticeship after leaving school and helped build houses.

“I’d always wanted to be a carpenter and my boss said I was doing well, so I wanted to see if I could handle uni and really challenge myself,” he said.

While his studying will be off-campus during Australia’s pandemic restrictions, he looks forward to returning to the campus he helped fit out.