Hawke’s Bay apprentice named 2011 MTA Apprentice of the Year

Media Release 05 October 2011

Hawke’s Bay apprentice named 2011 MTA Apprentice of the Year

A Hastings automotive apprentice is celebrating his win after scooping the 2011 MTA Apprentice of the Year Award. Michael Paaymans, 21, who has been with Lodge Auto Centre for three years, was awarded best apprentice after a competition held in Wellington on Saturday 1 October. It was a tight and gruelling day of testing for Michael and three other finalists, with four practical tests and a panel interview in only five hours.

“The competition was tough and pretty challenging at times. There was a cool bunch of people on the interview panel, and I had that first so it was good to get it out of the way.” The toughest part of the day for Michael was the electronic fuel injection task, and it was the first practical he faced. “I’d have preferred to start with something else, but it all worked out in the end,” says Michael.

The phone call Michael received, advising him of his win, took him by surprise though. “I answered the phone and heard ‘Gidday, it’s Greg Murphy here’. My reaction was ‘Who?’, I wasn’t expecting to hear from Greg himself!” Despite this being a busy week for Murphy, with Bathurst this weekend, he took the time to have a good chat with Michael about what he’ll experience when he visits Sandown later this year, part of the winners prize.

A strong work ethic has seen Michael complete his apprenticeship in under two years, and Michael adds all the hard work was definitely worth it and being able to represent MTA and the Lodge Auto Centre is very humbling.

Like many apprentices, Michael has been interested in cars from a young age. From the age of 13 to 16 he raced mini-stocks. He later moved into mainstream racing and was then given the opportunity to take up an apprenticeship with Lodge Auto Centre in Hastings. He initially found it a challenge to fit bookwork in around his day to day work, yet Michael took it all in his stride, and proved he has what it takes to be the MTA Apprentice of the Year.

Richard and Craig Field, Michael’s employers, were really happy to hear of the news. They nominated Michael for the award and couldn’t have sung the praises of their young apprentice any louder.

“Michael is incredibly focused on his work – when he is given a task, we know that it will be done to the best of his ability. He works through things in a conscientious way to make sure that everyone is happy – the bosses and the customers,” says Craig.

Jess Ross-Smith, MTA HR Advisor and interview panellist, says Michael definitely shone in his interview. “He is obviously very talented and driven. He has a clear passion for the motor industry which was hard to ignore. I have no doubt he will succeed in his ambitions of designing and building products in the future.”

Winning MTA Apprentice of the Year 2011 is only a stepping stone to a long and successful career. Michael will win a trip to work with Greg Murphy and his racing pit crew at Melbourne’s Sandown Circuit this year, $2000 cash prize and a potential study grant from MITO.

The long running MTA Apprentice of the Year Award is organised by MTA with assistance from MITO and aims to reward the skills of talented apprentices and employers who are investing in the future and the skills of the automotive industry.

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