Alfred Cove apprentice panel beater takes top honours
24/03/2009
SGIO has continued its support of apprentices from the autobody repair industry by awarding Alfred Cove local Cameron Clarke the honour of SGIO Apprentice of the Year for 2009.
In October 2008 SGIO encouraged its industry partners to nominate an apprentice panel beater or vehicle painter employed within their repairer network to receive $5,000 for ongoing training and career development.
Thirty one year old Cameron, who is also a student at Swan TAFE in Carlisle, was nominated for his work as a panel beater for Como Panel and Paint.
SGIO State Manager Colin Tierney said that Cameron had excelled in the categories of technical skills, ongoing personal development, customer service delivery and contribution to the community and environment.
“We have been extremely pleased with the calibre of applications from the program’s first year and in particular our talented winner – Cameron Clarke” said Mr Tierney.
“Cameron demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the repair industry, an excellent skill base and an impressive desire for self-development.”
The SGIO 2009 Apprentice of the Year event was attended by Minister for Energy and Training the Hon Peter Collier MLC.
Mr Tierney said that SGIO supported the value that the State Government placed on apprentices.
“Investing in our young people is good policy and complements the work that we are trying to do through programs such as Apprentice of the Year” said Mr Tierney.
“We’re working with repairers to help make the smash repair industry an appealing career option for school leavers, so that we can attract and retain the highest quality repairers. The Apprentice of the Year program helps us achieve this.”
After working in many different industries Cameron decided to explore the possibility of completing an apprenticeship in panel beating as a mature aged student.
Since commencing the apprenticeship he has been continually looking for opportunities to expand his skill base. He is planning to put his award money towards technical training, so that he can better support his employer.