Western Australian Megan Toia has been announced as the 2024 Capricorn Rising Stars Apprentice of the Year.
The second-year apprentice works for Capricorn member business Badgingarra Motors in Badgingarra (about 200 kilometres north of Perth).
She was selected from a talented field of more than 300 apprentice nominations from Capricorn member businesses.
The multiple rounds of judges were impressed by Toia’s passion for the industry, her love of learning, and her constant pursuit of excellence.
Her boss, Harry Burgess, was glowing in his praise for this highly motivated and enthusiastic second-year apprentice.
“Megan is a great asset to my business. She applies pressure on herself to complete her tasks to the highest standards and is very thorough. She is a fast learner who follows instructions, can work independently and takes constructive advice well,” Burgess says.
Toia grew up in Moora’s wheat and sheep farming community (population 1755), where she still lives. This means she has a 60-kilometre daily drive to and from the workshop in Badgingarra (population 173). It also means that completing her block release TAFE studies in South Perth requires a frequent two-hour drive from home.
“Coming from a small rural town, there weren’t many apprenticeship opportunities, especially for women. After working in a recycling centre that offered me no long-term career prospects, I saw an advertisement for an apprentice at Badgingarra Motors,” Toia says.
“As I have always loved cars and learning about how they worked while also loving problem solving and getting my hands dirty, this apprenticeship has proven perfect for me.”
“Harry has been very patient; he has walked me through all of the mistakes that I have made and has been incredibly supportive throughout my exciting automotive apprenticeship journey,” she says.
Toia was surprised and thrilled to be crowned the 2024 Capricorn Rising Stars overall winner.
“I am trying not to let it go to my head as winning this competition has blown my mind,” she says.
Toia plans to become fully qualified at Badgingarra Motors. After a couple of years, she plans to gain an upgrade to her heavy diesel trade qualification by working in the mining industry.
Her ultimate ambition is to open her own automotive service and repair business. She wants to employ people who are typically underrepresented in the industry and create a safe space for them, as she has found at Badgingarra Motors.
She will also use her platform as the 2024 Capricorn Rising Stars Overall Winner to advocate for more support and encourage apprentices from regional communities like hers to enter the automotive aftermarket industry.
Capricorn Group’s Brad Gannon congratulated Toia on her win.
“Megan is an outstanding young apprentice and a very worthy winner of our Rising Stars Award. She certainly has a bright future in the automotive industry,” Gannon says.
“Thank you to the 300 plus Capricorn Members who nominated their talented apprentices in this year’s Award. We had nominations from all over Australia and New Zealand, showing the breadth of talent in our industry,” he says.
The Capricorn Rising Stars Award is possible thanks to sponsors such as Castrol, Repco and The Workshop Whisperer.
