Alicia Byron is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for July 2023.
The 33-year-old is in the third year of her Light Vehicle Mechanical apprenticeship and has worked at Mosley’s Automotive in Slacks Creek, south Brisbane, since 2021.
Before taking on an automotive apprenticeship, Alicia spent more than a decade in the electrical industry in her hometown of Canberra. However, it had been, she said,
a long-held dream to start a mechanical career.
“Straight out of school I went into an electrical apprenticeship, but I injured my back and I had to give that away before I finished,” she said. “I then went into electrical wholesaling for about 10 years. However, I always had that interest in cars.”
That interest saw Alicia attempt to secure a mechanical apprenticeship back in 2011 after first moving to Queensland. Sadly, at that time she was frustrated in her efforts to secure a position. Several years later, however, and a chance meeting delivered the opportunity she had been searching for.
“I worked with my dad whenever he was doing something on his cars, and I was helping him with an engine swap one day when a family friend, who was a mechanic, came by. He said, ‘You should have been a mechanic!’, and I jokingly replied, ‘Hook me up with a job then.’ The next thing I knew I had an interview set up at Moseley’s Automotive! I went in on the Monday for the interview, had a trial day, and have been here ever since.”
Mosley’s Automotive is a fine shop for an apprentice to get their start. Established in 1988 by Nigel Mosley, it’s a one-stop auto shop offering a broad range of services from general automotive repair and maintenance, diagnostics, tyres, tuning, vehicle compliance, pre-purchase inspections, roadworthy certificates, 4WD and AWD servicing, and more. It offers Alicia the chance to gain experience on just about every type of job a mechanic can expect to see, and with the guidance of Nigel, Alicia said she is getting plenty of that practice on vehicles of all makes and models.
“We do a bit of everything here and you get experience in all sorts of jobs right from day one,” said Alicia. “That is a great challenge. As a first year, Nige had me working with him pulling gearboxes out and doing clutches, and it’s great to have a boss who has that sort of faith in you.”
While Alicia is deep into her mechanical apprenticeship, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is a development which has her thinking of further training. Perhaps her years working in the electrical industry give Alicia a good head-start.
“I suppose it helps a little bit . . . especially with a basic understanding of it all, and I will definitely consider EV training,” she said. “I know Nige is considering putting us all through an EV course, which is good because it will become a big part of the industry. And you can’t limit yourself. The industry is always evolving . . . you have to have knowledge across the board and always keep your knowledge growing.”
As one of few women working on the tools in a mechanical workshop, Alicia said it was a tremendous feeling to be able to pursue her goal of an automotive career. For other young women out there considering it as a career, she has some clear and simple advice.
“If someone has the interest, I say go for it,” she said.
“It can be hard to find somewhere that is going to give you a go, but don’t give up. Keep pushing and eventually you’ll find someone who will give you a go like Nige did for me. There’s nothing quite like the sense of achievement you get when you diagnose something, fix it and see it rolling out the door.”
With maybe 18 months to go before completing her apprenticeship, Alicia has given some thought to what she will do upon qualifying. Not surprisingly, staying at Mosley’s and absorbing as much as possible is top of the list.
“The short-term goal is to complete my apprenticeship and learn as much as I can. Nige has lots of knowledge to share – there’s always some trick and technique he can show us,” she said. “Long-term, I will hopefully help run the workshop, and super-long-term, I would hope to one day open my own business. We’ll see.”
The MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month is proudly sponsored by Spirit Super.
17 August 2023
