Chelsea Waddington Is the MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month for January 2024.
The 20-year-old has just completed her light vehicle apprenticeship and is now a qualified tech working at Doyle’s Garage in Gympie – an independent workshop offering maintenance and repair services on a wide range of makes and models of cars, trucks, 4WDs, and trailers.
According to her employer, Chelsea has shown ‘. . . an outstanding work ethic and high attention to detail’ throughout her apprenticeship and is someone who ‘. . . has a very bright and promising future ahead of her in the industry.’
Chelsea knew early on that she wanted to pursue a career in the automotive industry, finding that passion thanks to the support and encouragement of family and friends.
“Our neighbour at the time owned a mechanic shop in town and I did some work experience there on school holidays and so on,” said Chelsea. “He would throw me into the deep end a bit, showed me what it was like and didn’t just let me sit back and watch. That was really good and really got me interested in pursuing it as a career.
“When I was 16, I started my school-based apprenticeship and then went full time quite quickly,” she added. “I was doing one day a week, then went to two days a week, and I left school after Grade 10 to go full time.”
Beginning her apprenticeship with another shop in Gympie, Chelsea would move to Doyle’s Garage in 2022 to complete her training and to get more experience on the wide range of jobs the business has running through the workshop.
“We work on just about every make and model and do just about everything – servicing, suspension upgrades, clutches, cylinder heads – anything you can think of I have done or at least learned how to do. You pick things up pretty quick when all sorts of work comes through the shop.”
Chelsea said she enjoys every aspect of the job and feels plenty of pride in seeing a job done well and customers happy.
“I love what I do, and I get a lot of satisfaction seeing something that has in come broken turned around and sent out in good shape. It is very rewarding.”
Having done all her training with the MTA Institute, Chelsea said that the Institute’s method of delivering that training – learning with a trainer one-on-one in the student’s workplace – was one that worked very well for her. She added that even though she is qualified, the electrification of the industry meant there will be more training for her in the near future.
“I think doing the courses will be rewarding because electric vehicles will be a part of the industry and I want to understand them fully,” she said. “They are certainly a cool bit of machinery, and I will do the training to be able to work on them. I don’t really have a choice! It’s the way things are going, and you’ve got to keep up with things. So I am keen to do it and I have spoken with my trainer Terry, who has already pointed me in the direction for training.”
While it is still unusual to see women on the tools in a workshop, Chelsea said she received total support in her quest to join the industry.
“Everywhere I have been has been great,” she said. “Even customers make comments about how awesome it is to see a female mechanic. That is a good feeling, especially coming from the older generation who might once have frowned upon it. The industry has been great to get into.
“I would certainly recommend to others. Do work experience first, so you get a feel of what it is like, and then 100 per cent go for that career!”
Of her own career, Chelsea said running her own business might be one path she may take, but learning more and getting more experience was the way forward for now.
“The future means training for EVs, perhaps becoming a workshop manager and maybe starting my own business one day,” she said. “But for now,
I am happy building up my skills and maybe helping to train and mentor others.”
The MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month is proudly sponsored by Spirit Super.
