The former Taree High School student was this year awarded the Chartered Institute of Building's 'Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Fund Award'. The 23-year-old was nominated for the award by the University of Newcastle.

The award recognises the brightest construction minds in the United Kingdom and the world.

Nominees are also recognised for their, "strong motivation and ambition in their career development in the built environment sector." 

Ben’s work has taken him from local projects to multi million dollar developments. 

Ben's first construction project, through work experience, was Taree Masters. Ben also worked on Club Taree's outdoor upgrade.

Outside the area, Ben has worked on large scale projects including the Bankstown Travelodge Extension and Bankstown Sports upgrades. Currently Ben is working on the 230 million dollar Stockland Green Hills Redevelopment in East Maitland.

Combining his studies with work Ben is employed as a building cadet with Brookfield Multiplex in Newcastle and previously worked as a building cadet with Paynter Dixon in Sydney.

Ben studied construction management as he, “never really backed as good with maths at school."

"I always believed engineering would be off the cards, and construction management appealed to me as I still had the opportunity to be involved with construction projects," said Ben.

"I also enjoy the technical nature of the industry and I believe a lot of my success has come from my 'thirst' to learn how things work and why we do it a certain way or sequence."

Ben's 'thirst' to learn the way things work began at Taree High School where he created technology driven learning projects while participating in the 'Connected Learning Awards'.

He said taking on these projects helped him develop skills in team work, problem solving and meeting deadlines. "These are all critical aspects in the construction industry," added Ben.