Even more importantly, it shows that a career path based on passion can just as easily be accomplished as one forged on formal, school based study.

Luke’s love of cooking, evident in the swag of awards he has picked up, has driven him to succeed in a way the school classroom never could.

By his own admission he was always a shy student, hesitant to sing out when he needed help with his studies. 

What has secured his future is being allowed to follow his dreams, something every parent should consider. Despite her initial misgivings when it became apparent her son wanted to choose a pathway different to that of his brother who chose university, Luke’s mother has no regrets whatsoever.  

Luke’s story also highlights the need for a strong technical and trades education sector, the centre of which has traditionally been TAFE.

Just last week we saw a private training provider, Careers Australia, placed in voluntary administration, leaving thousands of students part way through courses in a state of limbo.

This company had previously got itself into trouble by aggressively offering inducements such as free iPads to encourage would-be students to sign up and amass large debts with the federal government for their courses. 

The privatisation of technical education at the expense of the state-run TAFE training system has carried a worrying burden of risk. Not all providers are dodgy but the temptation for malfeasance is stronger when a profit motive, rather than pure educational outcomes, is involved. 

We are not all cut from the same cloth and, as Luke Nolan has shown, some of us are better off outside the school system. The TAFE system is a vitally important alternative pathway to career success. It is imperative that access to it is available to young people in regions such as ours.

We should be prepared to invest in the futures of all our young people, regardless of how they perform at school.

As Luke Nolan has shown, that investment will yield dividends that will benefit the whole community.