MTA Apprentice of the Year finalists announced

Media Release 30 August 2012

MTA Apprentice of the Year finalists announced

The search to find the 2012 MTA Apprentice of the Year has just stepped up a gear. The final four apprentices who will compete for the overall title have been announced, they are: Jason Brownlee of Coastwide Honda (Greymouth), Zeb Walker of David Jones Motors (Wanganui), Benjamin Liddle of Eastern Truck & Marine Ltd (Napier), and James Dennis of Independent Vehicle Services Ltd (Gore).

“The calibre of entries this year was very high, and the judges had a tough job choosing the top four,” said MTA Apprentice of the Year event organiser Natalie Price.

“The skill level of these four apprentices is impressive, so we are expecting an exciting competition. The next step is for the apprentices to impress the judges with their practical skills and knowledge, but they also need to show that they have the right attitude to match,” she said.

The finalists were nominated by their employers, who were asked to comment on; how well their apprentice shows commitment to personal development, their goals (both personal and professional), their relationship with customers and staff, technical ability, how they take pride in what they do, and show maturity, leadership and initiative. Each nominee completed a similar questionnaire, both of which were used by Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO) and MTA to determine who the finalists would be.

The finalists will travel to Wellington on Saturday 8 September, where they will complete four practical tasks and a panel interview to determine the overall winner. They will take away an array of prizes, including a $500 Telecom voucher, a gaming console, tickets to the All Blacks versus Argentina test match in Wellington, and a trade tools package.

The overall winner will get to work as part of the Greg Murphy Racing Team in Sydney, receive a $3,500 cash prize, potential study grant from MITO, and much more. There is also a substantial prize package for the winner’s employer.

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

For more information about the competition visit www.mta.org.nz/apprenticechallenge

ENDS

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