Interstate automotive apprentice - 2013 NSW Training Awards

Kangan Institute's automotive graduate Jack Burch has received a Certificate of Excellence Industry Award for automotive manufacturing achievements at the 2013 NSW Training Awards held on Friday 28th June. The 20-year-old award winner was an interstate apprentice employed at Hammond Conversions in Pambula, New South Wales, whilst completing the Certificate III in Automotive Manufacturing (Bus, Truck and Trailer) at Kangan Institute's Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE). "I was quite surprised and pleased by the win. It is great to receive recognition for the time and effort put in by myself with the assistance of Kangan Institute and my employer Colin Hammond," said Jack. "The best thing about training at Kangan Institute was the modern facilities and the informative learning environment provided by the teachers." This is not the first accolade for Jack who also received the 2012 Sir Henry Royce Foundation Award for Excellence at Kangan Institute after demonstrating unrivalled determination and drive to succeed. "Jack was one of our most talented body making students and his passion was recognised by teachers and peers alike. He was always keen to listen and learn which helped him to complete his training within just 18 months instead of the usual three year duration," said automotive body teacher Jody Stalenberg. Jack's recent award win is an important validation of interstate training delivery, an increasingly popular phenomenon with students from NSW, ACT, TAS, QLD and SA due to the flexible nature of Kangan Institute's training delivery. "Even though it is interstate, we chose Kangan Institute because of their proven track record. Jack is our second apprentice to go through Kangan so we knew that his off the job training would be of an extremely high standard," said Colin Hammond of Hammond Conversions. "The advantage of having Kangan Institute as Jack's training provider is that the teachers knew the kind of specialised work our apprentices did and were able to provide a more tailored learning program in line with that." Automotive apprenticeship training at Kangan Institute is delivered through block periods and employers, whether based in Victoria or interstate, can choose for training to be carried out up to two weeks at a time or request on-the-job training at their workplace. "This flexibility, coupled with our blended learning approach which combines practical and online learning, allows our interstate students to minimise travelling and focus on achieving the best training outcomes," said Jody. Jody also highlights the Institute's renowned ACE facility and experienced teaching staff as a key draw card for students and employers. "The ACE's up to date equipment and machinery complements our highly skilled teaching staff from various parts of the automotive manufacturing industry. Many students and employers choose Kangan Institute because they know we're a training provider they can trust to deliver great results." Jack is not the first Kangan Institute automotive apprentice to be recognised at state level, with graduate Sevag Parseghian also making headlines as last year's Victorian Apprentice of the Year. "Jack now joins our list of high achievers to walk through the doors of Kangan Institute and I would like to congratulate him on his achievements and wish him all the best for the future," said Jody.