The search is on for the Capricorn Rising Stars of the Australian and New Zealand auto repair industries, with members encouraged to nominate their star performing apprentices to be in the running for some great prizes.

Capricorn is running a member promotion that seeks to locate star apprentices among its 17,000-plus member workshops across Australia and New Zealand.

The Capricorn Rising Stars competition will recognise and reward the talented young people who represent the future of our automotive repair industry. With a shortage of qualified mechanics and technicians, Capricorn is looking to encourage apprentices who show initiative and commitment to learn along with a passion for the auto industry.

Capricorn members are asked to nominate their apprentices, with a group of finalists and the winner to be selected by a panel that consists of some of the most experienced professionals in the Australasian automotive aftermarket industry.

The judging panel includes David Fraser, CEO automotive of Capricorn, Sean Rahaley, general manager of Castrol, Stuart Charity, executive director of Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), Jeff Smit, technical editor and director of TaT Biz, Rachael Sheldrick, director of Workshop Whisperer and Gavin Cribb, education manager of Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) Bendigo Kangan Institute.

The apprentice automotive technician who is selected as the winner of the Capricorn Rising Stars competition will take his workshop boss and two friends on a trip to the spectacular 2018 Vodafone Gold Coast 600 Supercar race event held on the streets of Surfers Paradise from October 19 to 21, thanks to major sponsor, Castrol.

The Capricorn member who nominates the winning apprentice will also receive industry renowned Workshop Whisperer customer service training for their business and their apprentice.

All finalists win a $1000 tool kit from Repco, rewarding and assisting them during this important early stage of their careers. All finalists also receive an AutoMate online training program to keep them updated on the latest vehicle technology, providing integral technical assistance in the constantly developing automotive service and repair sector of the industry.

The Capricorn Rising Stars winner and finalists will also receive tickets to the Capricorn Gala Dinner and Tradeshow in their region, along with a profile story in Capricorn‘s Ignition member magazine.

This competition is supported by Castrol, Repco, AutoMate, TaT Biz, and the Workshop Whisperer.

“The Capricorn Rising Stars competition is all about promoting and encouraging the people who represent the future of the automotive repair industry,” says Greg Wall, Capricorn Group CEO. “We strongly encourage our members to nominate their apprentices who will then be in the running for our top prize along with our range of finalists‘ prizes. It is a great way to reward the apprentices who are displaying outstanding commitment so early in their automotive repair careers.”

Capricorn members can nominate their star apprentices online at www.capricornrisingstars.com. Entries close 30 April 2018. Finalists will be announced by 1 July and the winner will be announced on 1 August.

Link to view the Capricorn Rising Stars competition information video:
https://youtu.be/Q2oI67zAUGE