Amid a dire skills shortage across Australia, the likes of Truck Assist are chipping in to help develop a strong future of skilled tradespeople.
Truck Assist – and parent company NTI – have been active for 50 years, but its involvement in the trades spans beyond providing insurance and roadside assistance.
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Truck Assist has also played a major role in promoting and celebrating apprentices in trades such as heavy vehicle mechanics, boilermaking, welding and auto electrical.
In good hands
NTI National Development Manager Craig Carmody said that a number of years ago NTI noticed the generational challenges Australia faces in terms of shoring up a strong skills pipeline.
“The truck industry is a lot more reliant on the trade industry than many may realise,” he said.
Despite this, Craig said Truck Assist was proud to be part of the solution in a number of ways.
“What we do from a Truck Assist point of view and our National Repairer Network is encourage apprenticeships,” he said.
“To be one of our Premium or local repairers, you have to embrace a strategy that supports tradespeople coming through.”
A former tradie himself; Craig knows the importance of ensuring the tradespeople of today are thinking about the future of the industry.
“How do we encourage the generation that have been skilled tradespeople to share their knowledge and teach?” he said.
Best of the best
Showcasing the accomplishments of apprentices in the industry is one area Truck Assist has been a strong advocate in for many years.
The Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia’s (HVIA) National Awards – which include the Apprentice of the Year – have been supported by Truck Assist since the ceremony’s inception in 2008.
The awards annually celebrate apprentices and businesses across many heavy mechanical trades.
“The transport industry gets a beat up of not being a sophisticated sector, when – as a whole – it’s a highly skilled and highly motivated industry with a career path which can take you any which way,” HVIA Skills, Training and Workforce Development National Manager Michael Rose said.
“It’s a very skilled sector, and I don’t think that’s sung from the rafters enough.”
The awards have expanded over time to encompass many trades in the heavy mechanics sector, including boilermakers and auto electricians.
“I’ve been fortunate to be on the judging panel across the last 10 years,” Craig added.
“Looking at the skillset of technicians coming through has been fantastic.
“They’re motivated young people, many doing multi-disciplined trades … and they’re equipped for the new generation of alternative fuel vehicles such as EVs and hybrids.”
One such example is 2024 Apprentice Trailer & Body Builder of the Year Samantha Hall.
Samantha received her award in front of peers and industry at the HVIA Gala 2024, and was invited on stage and interviewed at the 2025 Truck Show activation The Depot, with her biggest fan – her daughter – watching on in the crowd.
Michael said special moments such as this highlighted the significance of the awards and their impact on the wider industry.
Not only apprentices, but the businesses that support them are also recognised at the awards.
“It’s been great to see employers who encourage and endorse their young tradespeople as well,” Craig said.
“It’s a credit to them because it is a cost to the business to bring these people on, and to also put them out there to be recognised at the awards.
“Following that, however, they become an ambassador for the industry, so there’s a lot of reward and recognition as an employer for them and the industry.”
