The search is on to find MTA Apprentice of the Year 2011

Media Release 12 May 2011

The search is on to find MTA Apprentice of the Year 2011

The search is on to find the MTA Apprentice of the Year for 2011. The Motor Trade Association (MTA) is encouraging automotive businesses from all sectors of the industry to put forward their top apprentices.

The long running MTA Apprentice of the Year Award aims to reward the skills of talented apprentices and recognise employers who are investing in the future of the automotive industry.

This year’s competition is expected to be better than ever, the second year in which the traditional theory based ‘Apprentice of the Year’ contest has been merged with the practical, hands-on ‘MTA Apprentice Challenge’.

MTA General Manager Advocacy and Training, Dougal Morrison, says the competition not only recognises the best in the automotive industry, but it’s a great opportunity for apprentices to showcase their talents and fast track their skills and career development.

“The standard of entries just gets better and better each year. Our MTA members do a great job training their apprentices, and as a result there is a lot of talent out there. It’s also pleasing to see so many young apprentices being given a chance to further opportunities such as overseas training and employment.”

2009 winner, James O’Connor, is off to Stuttgart in Germany for six to eight weeks in September to work for Daimler in the Mercedes factory, famous for producing Mercedes Benz vehicles. The opportunity arose when New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation (NZCTF) board member, Les Bramford, saw an article in MTA’s magazine ‘Radiator’ and thought James would be a good candidate for one of their scholarships.

James will finish his auto electrical training with the Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO) in the next few months and when he returns from Germany he’d like to ‘move away from the tools and into a technical role’ – all part of his five year plan.

2010 winner, Brock Johnston, of Mt Aspiring Motors, has taken up the opportunity to study towards his National Certificate in Motor Industry, offered by MITO as part of the prize package. Brock also plans to complete the MITO Business Administration Programme, to further enhance his skills.

Riki Ryan (co-owner, with Dave Saunders, of Mt Aspiring Motors) said that “apprentices are learning a lot more at a younger age these days, with the depth of knowledge being transferred to the workshop floor”.

“Apprenticeships provide a great opportunity for young people to train in a trade they’re interested in. It’s often hard to find good young people, but those that are prepared to complete an apprenticeship show that they’ve got commitment and motivation,” said Riki.

The MTA Apprentice of the Year competition aims to provide automotive apprentices with a challenging, but fun and practical competition. Each apprentice will be tasked with a bookwork test and a practical challenge, followed by a panel interview.

The winner will go to Sandown (Melbourne) with the opportunity to work alongside the Greg Murphy Racing team, $2,000 cash and a potential study grant from MITO.

Entries close Sunday, 31 July 2011. The competition is run by MTA with assistance from MITO, Weltec, Telecom and Repco.

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