2019 Capricorn Rising Stars competition winner announced.
The 2019 Capricorn Rising Stars competition to find Australia’s most promising automotive
apprentice among the more than 20,000 Capricorn Member automotive businesses has unearthed a winner and five outstanding finalists.
The Capricorn Rising Stars competition was developed to assist Capricorn Members to recognise and reward their high performing apprentices to keep them committed to the industry, long-term.
The more than 500 nominees were evaluated based on their ability to show initiative in the workshop, eagerness to learn and commitment to the auto industry.
Queensland based apprentice from Titan Automotive, Jeremy Drabsch, has been selected by the Capricorn Rising Star panel of highly experienced automotive aftermarket industry judges as the 2019 Capricorn Rising Star.
In what proved to be yet another extremely close competition, Jeremy stood out by demonstrating his professionalism and dedication to his craft, inside and outside of the workshop.
“I always strive to be an excellent representative of my workshop, not just when I’m wearing my uniform, but outside of work too. I recognise I’m being paid to learn, so I always make sure I’m prepared to do my very best at all times including studying up on topics every day before class. Even little things like sitting at the front in class and not going out for lunch. I know that if I was paying someone to study, I’d want them to take it very seriously too,” Jeremy said.
Jeremy credits his employers at Titan Automotive with his early successes.
“From day one at Titan, my boss was clear in letting me know that I’d get the training needed to work on today’s cars, older vehicles and whatever future technology is coming through. I’m feel really privileged to be in a workshop that’s working hard to stay ahead of the curve,” he said.
“When it comes to repair work, my workshop’s values are aligned with my own, which I think is important. At Titan there is a strong focus on producing high quality work as opposed to just getting cars out. I really respect and appreciate the opportunity to be part of this. It is a relationship where we are both fully committed to the end goal,” Jeremy added.
As the Capricorn Rising Stars competition winner, Jeremy will take his workshop boss and two friends on an all-expenses paid trip to the spectacular 2019 Vodafone Gold Coast 600 Supercar race event held on the streets of Surfers Paradise from October 26 to 27 thanks to major sponsor, Castrol.
As part of the winning Capricorn Rising Star prize pack, Titan Automotive has also won 150,000 Bonus Capricorn Reward Points, also courtesy of Castrol.
Jeremy Drabsch will also receive industry renowned leadership academy training from The Workshop Whisperer.
Of special additional note are the four highly talented finalists who made it to the last round of judging alongside our winner. These finalists are:
- Stephanie McKenzie
Ultra Tune Bundaberg (QLD)
- Micah Connolly
Paramount Automotive (QLD)
- Sarah Spriopoulos
Kilmore Collision Centre (VIC)
- Wesley Rietveld
Westernport Automotive (VIC)
Encouragingly, there were substantially more women nominated for the Rising Stars award in 2019, reflecting the increased diversity within our workshops. This was highlighted by the top five placings from Stephanie McKenzie and Sarah Spiropoulos. Sarah also gained the distinction of being the top-rated repairer from a paint and panel workshop.
These finalists all received Capricorn Rising Star prize packs that included:
- A Repco tool kit valued at $1,000
- A 12 month subscription to Repco’s Autopedia technical support service
- Tickets to two Repco Masterclass Clinics
- Access to the AutoMate online training program
- Two tickets to their local Capricorn Gala Dinner and Tradeshow
According to Capricorn Automotive CEO Bradley Gannon, this year’s Capricorn Rising Stars competition proved to be an outstanding success.
“Once again we have revealed a number of outstanding young individuals who are making their mark in the automotive service and repair industry. I congratulate the winner, Jeremy Drabsch and all of the finalists, along with all of the apprentices who were nominated for this competition by our Members,” Mr Gannon stated.
“We believe that it is highly important to support the introduction of new and enthusiastic talent to the industry while encouraging more young people to enter this industry. These are the main reasons why we established the Capricorn Rising Stars competition. I would like to thank the highly experienced judging panel for donating their time along with all of our generous program partners for their outstanding prizes. Above all, thanks to the many Capricorn Members who are helping sustain our industry by recognising their apprentices with a nomination,” Mr Gannon said.
Capricorn Rising Stars is proudly supported by major sponsor Castrol, Repco, AutoMate, The Workshop Whisperer and The Automotive Technician (TaT).