Jared Rogers is the MTA Institute apprentice of the month for October 2022.
The 16-year-old is a mobile plant apprentice with CCC Rural, a business that runs a number of large cattle properties and is based near the town of Alpha, about 400km west of Rockhampton and 160km west of Emerald.
Impressing both his employers and his MTA Institute trainer, Andrew Keys, with his hard work, ability, and developing skills, Jared is getting what might be considered a uniquely Australian experience from his apprenticeship.
Working on a huge variety of machinery, both big and small, Jared’s job can see him maintaining and repairing equipment at the CCC workshop or be out and about somewhere on the company’s properties that pepper the vast outback region.
You’ve got to be a little bit tough out here as the climate can be extreme, the days can be long, and the work may have to be done in some pretty remote spots.
“I work on anything from D11 bulldozers to cars, prime mover trucks, graders, loaders, right down to little Honda pumps and even lawnmowers,” said Jared. “I work on all sorts of stuff, and I love it!
“CCC hire out a few machines, so we sometimes have to travel to fix them, or we may have to go out and do that work on their other properties. It’s nearly 400km from one property to another so if something breaks down there, we go and camp down for a couple of nights. It’s a lot of fun.
“In the summer, mid-40s is a half-cool day out here and when you wake up at 5 o’clock it can already be 35 degrees,” he added with a chuckle. “In the winter, it gets down to negative 5 or 6. It makes you sweat all summer and you can’t get out of a jumper all winter!
“Our biggest issue is getting parts,” he added. “It might take a week for something to come by freight for us to fix something, so sometimes, when we need something in a hurry, we might have to drive to Emerald or even Rocky to get parts.”
CCC Rural seemed like a natural place for Jared to do an apprenticeship. His father knew the owner, Jeff Clews, and had worked out there himself, and Jared had also spent time there when he was a youngster, learning about, and developing an interest in, the onsite vehicles and equipment.
Today, Jared is part of a small team – Jeff and his son Joshua – that work to maintain the CCC machinery, with Andrew from the MTA Institute travelling to oversee his training.
The Institute’s delivery method – of a trainer going to the workplace of the apprentice – obviously works well for an apprentice, and a business, located so far from a major regional centre.
“It works out really well,” said Jared. “And Andrew has been a real good trainer.”
Born and raised in the region, Jared has no intention of leaving once he completes his trade. Instead, living and working out in the region, and helping more young people gain a trade, is the first thing he mentions when asked about where his future might lie.
“Once I am qualified, I think I might like to start my own little mobile business and work in the remote communities out here,” he said. “I’d like to maybe help out other apprentices too when I am qualified.”
The MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month is proudly sponsored by Spirit Super.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (November 2022)
14 November 2022
