Great stories from the show – Apprentice’s heavy lifting

Originally published in Star Weekly (Wyndham City, Victoria)

Werribee’s James Greig showed his mettle at the recent Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia National Apprentice Challenge.

The heavy vehicle apprentice and teammate Brett Holland clinched first place at the national challenge last month at the Brisbane Truck Show.

The challenge involved three teams from across Australia working against the clock to identify and rectify a series of faults on identical trucks.

James and Brett were chosen to represent the southern region, including Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, after claiming the top two placings at the regional qualifiers.

Both are completing a certificate III in heavy commercial vehicle mechanical technology at Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence.

James, who is a third-year apprentice technician at Westar Truck Centre in Derrimut, said the challenge was an invaluable experience that would help his future.

“As an apprentice, we don’t normally get to go interstate to compete in a national competition,” he said. “This was a really good experience and it’ll hopefully open a few doors for me later.”

Kangan Institute chief Phill Murphy said the apprentices’ strong performance reflected their skills and passion in the trade.

“Their first place win reflects the hard work they’ve put in,” Mr Murphy said. “It also reflects the skills and expertise that they’ve honed through years of training and practise at TAFE and the workplace.”