Passion Pay Off!
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Terry Pankhurst is the Round 8 winner and current Series leader of the AMCA National East Coast Series Championship. http://www.amcanationals.com.au/
Terry has had a long-time passion for racing which started at an early age. He was racing motorcycles from the age of 7 with the help of his father who was a truck driver and who maintained the bikes.
This beginning had a major impact on Terry and set him on a course into the automotive industry. The passion for racing and anything automotive has fueled a successful career. Terry decided to become an automotive mechanic and began his apprenticeship at the young age of 15 in Wyong NSW.
The foundation of automotive apprenticeships has not changed much over the years and it is still possible to begin an Apprenticeship at 15. However with the current minimum school leaving age set at Year 12 the family and company that is willing to take on the younger apprentices must have special permission from the school and must complete Year 10 and enter into training. The Apprenticeships meet this requirement.
Terry completed his apprenticeship and developed his skills enough to open his own business in the Gosford region which he operated for 11 years, whilst all of the time he was honing his racing skills and maintaining his own racing vehicles which are now speedway cars.
In 2012 Terry wanted to give back to the industry and became an automotive trainer and now is working in MTA NSW Training. During the last 6 years Terry has assisted many Apprentices to also join the ranks of qualified tradespeople in our industry. During this last 6 years there have been more than 4000 qualifications issued by MTA NSW Training and many of these new tradespeople can thank Terry for his dedication and knowledge.
Terry is still a keen motor racer in the speedway scene and regularly takes a podium finish at the race meetings in the AMCA National series. Round 8 of the series was at Nowra Speedway on the 3rd March 2018 which resulted in another win for Terry and he is still series leader.
One point of this article is about how a person can engineer a career to support yourself and your family, do what you enjoy and also to make a mark for people to see while giving back to your industry. Congratulations to Terry for your dedication and desire. Another point is that the Trainers employed by MTA NSW maintain their industry knowledge and currency continually because they have a passion for the industry and want to stay as part of it.
MTA NSW trains automotive apprentices and trainees onsite at the workplace. We are currently training more than 900 people. Employers in the automotive industry have options regarding how their apprentices are trained. You can decide to send the apprentice to a training institution for class based training or have the training conducted at your workplace. The latter option allows you to gain productivity because the apprentice is not required to go to college for a full day each week.
For further information, please call MTA NSW Training on 1300 MTA NSW, email training@mtansw.com.au or visit our website mtansw.com.au for information about this delivery style.
You can follow Terry at https://www.facebook.com/Pankhurst-Motorsport-1079187192129849/
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