Liam Watt is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for May 2023.
The 21-year-old is in the third year of his Body Repair Technology (panel beater) apprenticeship and has worked for a couple of years at McCarthy Panel Works in Mackay.
Determined and enthusiastic in his work, Liam has, said his trainer Shane Palmer, proven to be an outstanding employee and apprentice. He is already an award-winning apprentice too, having also picked up Car Craft’s Second-Year Apprentice of the Year Award.
“Liam is always willing to learn and go beyond in new technologies in the evolving vehicle body repair industry,” commented Shane. “He is always improving in his practical skill sets and has his theory and training record up to date every scheduled training visit, ready to take on that next challenge. Liam is the future in automotive body repair technology and is receiving the highest level of training and support.”
While he is now enjoying and excelling in his role as an apprentice collision repairer, it took a bit of time for Liam to decide that a career in that sector was for him.
After graduating from school, he wasn’t sure what direction to go, and took on a few odd jobs. However, he had always been interested in cars – and had tried his hand at the mechanical and body repair of his own car – so began to apply for roles, mechanical and otherwise, at local shops. Alerted to an opportunity at a local collision repairer,
Liam applied, deciding to give it a go to see how things went. He’s never looked back.
Realising he had a passion for collision repair, 12 months after starting his apprenticeship he sought a move to McCarthy Panel Works – a shop which has serviced the Mackay region for more than 50 years and which has a stellar reputation for the work it does as well as its staff training and work environment.
“I can’t knock my first employer – they gave me the opportunity and I did learn a lot, but I just wanted to progress further,” said Liam. “I asked a lot of people where they got their cars done, and they talked very highly of this shop . . . so I came over for an interview, had a walk around, talked to few of the blokes and knew I wanted to come here.”
Liam started at McCarthy just as the business was beginning a major expansion – most notably the construction of a new facility focused on the repair of electric and hybrid vehicles. Now a Tesla Repair Centre, the shop offers training to its appropriately qualified staff in the repair of electrified vehicles, amongst other learning opportunities.
As a third year, there are only a few elements of collision repair work (restricted to fourth-year apprentices) that Liam has yet to tackle, but from the repair of a fender to a pillar, from welding to patch and bog work, he does plenty and on any brand and model from small hatchbacks to trucks.
The patch work and bog work are actually the parts of the work he enjoys the most, he said.
“With patch work you have to fabricate every piece you’re using and with bog work you’re shaping the car. Once it leaves you for the painters, that is the way it is going to be – those jobs are fully up to me.”
While there is still much to learn in the 18 months or so left until he qualifies, Liam said he had given some thought to what his next step would be, and that the electrification of the industry would mean much more training.
“Given the number of electric cars there will be in the future I was thinking about the auto-electrical path,” he said. “I’ll wait and see until I have got my ticket, but that is the way I feel it is going.”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (June 2023)
21 June 2023
