The MTA has officially launched our new training model!

“The new training model roll-out has been a huge success and well-received by trainers, apprentices and employers. There has been an absolute hive of activity and excitement down at the Royal Park Automotive Skills and Careers Centre. The students are really impressed with how easily accessible their course content is through the new learning system and Ready Skills App” – said Jodi Ryan, General Manager Apprenticeships.

It is a key priority for the MTA and the automotive industry as a whole to ensure that the MTA stands ready and able to equip the next generation of automotive technicians with the necessary skills to succeed in an evolving industry.

This new model was developed in consultation with MTA members and industry around skill shortages, training downtime, and the need for the integration between training and the workplace. The updated model seeks to increase efficiency, improve trainer-employer communications and engagement and return more of the apprentice’s time back to the workplace.

“It will improve workforce capacity and productivity by having apprentices spend more time at businesses and blends institutional learning with workplace assessments to provide them with a broader skill set” said MTA SA/NT CEO Darrell Jacobs.

Benefits of the new blended training model includes the following:

• Apprentices obtain more hands-on experience in the workplace, supplemented with efficient and streamlined trade training
• Improved productivity with apprentices spending more time in the workplace
• Blended institutional training and workplace assessments allowing apprentices the opportunity to truly apply what they are learning, in the classroom, to their job
• Access to an innovative and mobile-responsive online student learning portal (MoTA), which combines both theory and practical learning in an easy- to-use and system
• MoTA is accessible to both students and employers anytime allowing easy access to all learning material to support apprentices
• Employers have greater visibility, and the option to be in the driver’s seat along the apprentice learning journey whist supported by the MTA
• Individualised training support with face-to-face MTA Trainer visits to the apprentices’ workplace on a regular basis
• Exceptional mentorship and career guidance from both the MTA Trainer and Automotive Industry Career Mentor, ensuring apprentices stay engaged and complete their vocational training
• Students have access to learning material a whole year ahead, allowing them to collect evidence in line with day-to-day workplace tasks
• Access to the MTA’s state of the art Electric Vehicle Centre
• Access the to the MTA’s Air Conditioning Hub
• Apprentices can enrol and start training with the MTA at any time throughout the year as we have a rolling intake. No need to wait for entry into our training facility
• Comprehensive half-day inductions for all new apprentices to prepare them for training at the MTA and in the workplace
• Employers and students are fully supported through each student journey with the MTA

Having apprentices access online learning content and undertake learning activities at their workplace means there is greater capacity at the MTA’s training centre. This ultimately allows for the MTA to increase it’s training capacity and in turn address the current and future skill shortages facing the industry.

John Siciliano from Axle Co Mechanical said, “I am a strong advocate of the new blended model of training. Ultimately, the less I lose my apprentices, the better. I invest into my apprentices because I want to train them to lead and treat them to stay. Axle Co Mechanical is bigger than just John now. Customers are calling and asking for Dominic and Liam (two MTA apprentices employed at Axle Co Mechanical). I rely on my apprentices a lot and I can’t have them tied up at the training centre constantly. With their dedicated trainer visiting every 4-6 weeks, it will also keep me more informed around what my apprentices are learning on a weekly basis."

This is a pivotal moment in the MTA’s training history. This new approach to automotive apprentice training will ensure we keep growing, protecting and supporting the automotive industry through our efforts to adequately equip the next generation of automotive mechanics and technicians with the skills-set to thrive in a rapidly-evolving environment.