Klarah Cassar-Tan is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for June 2022.
That name may look familiar, and well it should, as 19-year-old Klarah – who works at Mercedes-Benz Sunshine Coast and is now well into her fourth year of training to become a light vehicle mechanic – was also Apprentice of the Month for April 2021 and a finalist for the prestigious MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year award last year.
Taking out the Apprentice of the Month award twice is a pretty good indication of Klarah’s outstanding qualities as an apprentice and employee, with her trainer Dennis Shaw noting that, ‘On all occasions, my conversations with the employer and supervisor have always been outstanding and both emphasized how devoted she is to her training . . . Klarah always goes beyond the training requirements . . .’
Klarah is, naturally, proud to have won the award again, though shocked to have done the double.
“It was very unexpected, and I was like ‘What the hell!’ when my trainer called to tell me,” she said. “I am so honoured to have received it again.”
Perhaps Klarah’s success should not come as a surprise. Fascinated by cars for as long as she can remember, she leapt at the chance of an apprenticeship at the earliest opportunity.
“My school was organising work experience opportunities, and when we were asked what we would like to do, I instantly said motor mechanics,” she told Motor Trader last year. “It has always interested me, and I really wanted to have a go with Mercedes-Benz. I went to do a week of work experience and was then offered a school-based apprenticeship. It was all very exciting.
“I have been here since 2018 when I was doing one day a week as part of that school-based apprenticeship and started here full time in July 2019. I have no regrets. I’m very lucky to be working for Mercedes-Benz. I love it so much.”
While those words were spoken last year, Klarah said the feeling remained unchanged over the past 12 months. What has changed, however, is the excitement, and a slight sense of nerves, as the anticipation of completing her trade qualification nears.
“It has come to the point where it is like ‘What is going to happen when I qualify?’,” she said. “There’s the added pressure of more responsibility and working on cars by yourself, and although I do that already, as an apprentice you obviously are still in the learning stages and not expected to know everything. It’s an exciting prospect and I am just trying to learn as much as I can.”
And there will be plenty more to learn. There is no expectation that an apprentice/tradesperson will know everything the moment they receive their trade qualification, and in the evolving, highly technical and innovative world of automotive, training is a career-long exercise.
This is certainly true in the cutting-edge workshops of Mercedes-Benz which are beginning to see the results of the company’s move into electric vehicles.
“We have our new AMG EQS 53 here and that has been a real highlight of the year,” said Klarah. “I haven’t worked on it yet, but I have done some training to go towards becoming an EV technician.
“Only certain people can work on those cars as you need to go through so many courses before you get to that stage, but I am currently on that pathway. It will take quite a while, but I have started.
“I am so proud to be in the industry as it is going through this change. I am very lucky.”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (August 2022)
12 August 2022
