Connor McMahon is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for December 2023.
Currently working for C2C Mine Maintenance in Mackay, 17-year-old Connor is in the third year of his heavy commercial vehicle apprenticeship and has drawn praise from his employer and MTA Institute trainer for his strong work ethic, developing skills and enthusiasm for the job.
“He consistently goes above and beyond, showcasing the qualities that embody an outstanding apprentice,” said C2C Director Robert Bryan in nominating Connor for the Apprentice of the Month award. “He shows a level of mechanical knowledge and maturity usually found at tradesman level.”
At C2C Mine Maintenance – which is part of a group that includes C2C Site Services and C2C Hire and Haulage – Connor works as part of a team that repairs and maintains a wide range of equipment, machinery and vehicles used on mine sites, including cars, trucks, diggers, and generators. As a third-year apprentice, he is able to work on just about any job that comes into the shop, and he enjoys the work immensely.
Connor caught the automotive mechanical bug when still at school, when work experience at another automotive business in Mackay exposed him to the workshop environment.
“I had thought about being a boilermaker or something like that, but when I did the work experience, I realised that was what I wanted to do,” said Connor. “I didn’t necessarily think I would work in a mine-related industry either, but there’s a lot of that around here, so that sort of just happened. But it has been great.
“Initially, my work experience was for two weeks. Then I did more over the holidays, then one day a week for a while, and then took on the apprenticeship – I think that was after I had finished Grade 10.”
A little over a year ago, Connor moved to work at C2C and, at the same time, change his apprenticeship training provider to the MTA Institute and trainer Gareth Hartley.
“I moved to C2C really because there were more opportunities to work on a wider range of equipment. I thought it would be beneficial,” said Connor. “When I moved over to C2C I also switched over to the MTA Institute and Gareth has been my trainer since then.
“And the training with Gareth has been really great. It’s practical, hands on, and because it is just me and him in the workshop, it is like doing tutoring at school – it’s much better one-on-one than it is with a whole group of people. It’s way easier and I’d definitely recommend it.”
Like every other sector of the automotive industry – in fact, any industry in which powered machinery is used – electrification is something that those working within mining, or mining-related sectors, should consider as being part of their future.
While it may take time for such technology to make big inroads into the mining sector generally, C2C Mine Maintenance has seen some electrified vehicles come through the shop and Connor is mindful that some training may be required down the track.
“While we do mine work, we do work on ordinary cars too and we have seen some hybrids come in,” he said. “I do think about doing the training on them at some point – in the coming years they will become more common. So, yes, I will consider the training.”
Having electric vehicle skills will, of course, be very useful, especially as Connor, even at 17, has a pretty clear idea of what direction he wants his career to take.
“I don’t have a plan, but I do know I’d like to run my own business and work for myself one day,” he said. “And I’d like to earn plenty of money and
maybe retire to Hawaii!”
That sounds like a pretty good career goal to us.
The MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month is proudly sponsored by Spirit Super.
