After a comprehensive judging process and from more than 500 Capricorn Rising Star nominations received from Capricorn Members across Australia and New Zealand, the Capricorn Rising Stars Apprentice of the Year has been selected.
Capricorn is delighted to announce that Mark Smith, an apprentice from The Battery Terminal in Belconnen, ACT has been named as the inaugural Capricorn Rising Stars winner.
Mark emerged on top after impressing the Capricorn Rising Stars judging panel with his outstanding work ethic, combined with his passion for the industry and commitment to making the most of the opportunity given to him by his employers at The Battery Terminal.
As the Capricorn Rising Stars Apprentice of the Year, Mark will take his boss and two friends on an all-expenses paid trip to the spectacular 2018 Vodafone Gold Coast 600 Supercar race, held on the streets of Surfers Paradise from October 19 to 21, thanks to Capricorn Rising Stars competition major sponsor, Castrol.
Mark was justifiably proud to have earned the inaugural Capricorn Rising Stars, Apprentice of the Year accolade. “I’m very proud to be the first Capricorn Rising Star and I would like to congratulate all of the other nominees and finalists, as it is so good to see other young people sharing the same enthusiasm for the industry,” he stated.
“I hope that this initiative continues and that more apprentices gain the recognition that they deserve for their efforts day in, day out. Out of all the prizes, I am looking forward to the access that I will have with the industry leaders the most. The mentoring will be a great thing for my career as I am ready and willing to learn all the time.” he added.
As part of the Capricorn Rising Star competition winner’s prize pack, The Battery Terminal has also won industry renowned customer service training from The Workshop Whisperer.
The Capricorn Rising Stars competition was developed to assist Capricorn members in rewarding and retaining their high performing apprentices by recognising their important contribution, while highlighting the promising future that lies ahead of them within the industry.
Through the Capricorn Rising Stars Apprentice of the Year competition, Australasia’s largest automotive parts buying group hopes to encourage more apprentices to join and make their mark in the industry.
The Capricorn Rising Stars judging panel included David Fraser, CEO Automotive – Capricorn, Sean Rahaley, General Manager – Castrol, Stuart Charity, Executive Director – Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), Brendan Sorensen – TaT Biz, Rachael Sheldrick, Director – Workshop Whisperer and Gavin Cribb, Education Manager – Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) Bendigo Kangan Institute.
All the judges agreed that deciding the winner was a difficult process, due to the extremely high calibre of apprentices who were nominated by Capricorn members. Capricorn thanks all their members who took part by nominating their outstanding apprentices, the people who represent the future of the Australian and New Zealand automotive repair and servicing industry.
The Capricorn Rising Stars Apprentice of the Year competition was proudly supported by Repco, AutoMate, TatBiz, The Workshop Whisperer and major sponsor Castrol.