Eastern team wins 2017 HVIA National Apprentice Challenge

The winning duo rectified twelve out of thirteen faults to beat Southern and North-Western Region teams

 

The team from the Eastern Region, representing Queensland and New South Wales, claimed the 2017 HVIA National Apprentice Challenge at the Brisbane Truck Show yesterday.

Angus Thomson, a fourth-year apprentice from Volvo Brisbane South and Drew Charlesworth-Smith, a fourth-year apprentice from Westco Truck Sales, Rockhampton, beat the Southern and North-Western Region teams.

The three regional teams worked simultaneously on identical trucks to identify and rectify a series of programmed faults as the clock ticked.

“To win, the team was the first to successfully identify and repair all the faults,” HVIA national workforce development manager Mark O’Kane says.

“The teachers from Tafe Queensland SkillsTech, who set the faults, made sure the task was anything but a cake-walk.

“We didn’t expect any of the teams to be able to complete the full task in the allotted time.

“In fact, for Angus and Drew to finish with twelve faults rectified from thirteen set, is a reflection of the great cooperative spirit they developed and how efficiently they worked together.”

The winning duo won a trophy and all competitors received prizes courtesy of Warby Tools to the combined value of $1,800.

“The lads were terrific. They attracted big crowds over the last two days of the competition, and I couldn’t be prouder of these young blokes as ambassadors for careers in our industry,” O’Kane says.

“The apprentices all went through a rigorous selection process to earn the right to be here, competing against other apprentices from all over the country.”

The Southern Region team (representing Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia) was Paul Kleinberg and Matthew Hinge, both fourth year apprentices at Cummins South Pacific in Melbourne.

Third year apprentice Damien Camacho, from Westrans, teamed up with Jordan White (fourth year) from Cummins South Pacific, to represent the North-Western Region (representing Western Australia and Northern Territory).

While Roger Davey kept the visitors informed with commentary, Kaz Harris-Brown from Tafe Queensland SkillsTech interviewed the competitors for regular explanations of their strategies.

The trucks for the challenge were generously supplied by Fuso Australia.

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