Kangan Batman TAFE to race ahead in motorsport!
14 November 2003
Tom Rogers, No. 2 Mechanic with the Kmart Racing Team, did his motor mechanics apprenticeship at Kangan Batman TAFE.
Kangan Batman TAFE will be offering the new nationally recognised motorsport industry qualifications at its Coburg campus in 2004.
The new Motorsport section of the Retail, Service and Repair (RS&R) National Training Package has been developed by the motorsport industry in response to a worldwide skill shortage within the motorsport and performance enhancement sectors.
“These sectors face constant technological change and product improvement challenges, requiring people with a specialised set of skills,” explains John Naismith, Motorsport Coordinator at Kangan Batman TAFE.
The new motorsport qualifications are the Certificate II, III, IV and Diploma of Automotive (Motorsport) and the Certificate IV in Automotive (Performance Enhancement).
The Certificate II in Automotive (Motorsport) is aimed at new entrants to the industry, while the Certificate III is the apprenticeship qualification, providing the skills base for a Number Two Technician (Mechanic) within a motorsport team. Kangan Batman TAFE will work with employers to place prospective apprentices.
The Certificate IV in Automotive (Motorsport) allows people to specialise in specific technical areas and provides the skills to work as a Number One Technician (Mechanic) or Chief Engineer within a motorsport team.
The Diploma in Automotive (Motorsport) provides training in team management or management of technical areas, while the Certificate IV in Automotive (Performance Enhancement) provides the knowledge and skills base for the Senior Performance Enhancement Technician.
Kangan Batman TAFE’s Automotive Centre of Excellence is Victoria’s major provider of automotive industry training, and will now be the only provider of these motorsport qualifications in metropolitan Melbourne.
Kangan Batman TAFE is seeking expressions of interest from both motorsport industry employers and people interested in starting or furthering their career in motorsport.
Inquiries to John Naismith at Kangan Batman TAFE on (03) 9353 1896 or 0409 198 661.
Automotive Centre of Excellence - No. 1 for Motorsport
With a national and international reputation for excellence in training for both the retail, service and repair (RS&R) and manufacturing sectors of the automotive industry, Kangan Batman TAFE’s Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) is ready to embark on a new challenge: the implementation of the newly developed Motorsport sector of the National RS&R Training Package.
With more than 3,500 students currently studying automotive programs ranging from Certificate I through to Diploma in Automotive Technology, Kangan Batman TAFE is one of the largest providers of automotive training in the southern hemisphere. From 2005, our training programs will begin moving from our Richmond and Coburg campuses to the state-of-the-art Automotive Centre of Excellence we are currently building in the Melbourne Docklands.
Our more than 100 specialist automotive teachers have extensive experience in motorsport. For many years, our teachers and students have been involved in all aspects of motorsport, ranging from race car building and engine development, through to vehicle safety checks on NASCARs at the Calder Park Thunderdome.
Kangan Batman TAFE has also been involved in the Formula SAE competition from its inception in 2000 and has reaped great success from its association with the University of Melbourne, whereby each year the university’s students design a race car, and our students build it.
We have also assisted many people to get their start in motorsport, including Craig Lowndes and James Brock who studied with us as apprentice motor mechanics. Another of our motor mechanic apprentices, Tom Rogers, is now No. 2 Mechanic with the Kmart Racing Team.
Kangan Batman TAFE has also had a long and fruitful relationship with the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) and its members. This year saw four Kangan Batman TAFE-trained VACC Group Training Scheme apprentices supporting the Bathurst-winning car driven by Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly.
Through industry partnerships and drawing on the expertise of renowned industry specialists, Kangan Batman TAFE’s Automotive Centre of Excellence is ready for the challenge of assisting the Motor Sport Industry develop new people and further skill the existing people within the industry.
Kangan Batman TAFE is forming partnerships with motorsport teams and other employers within the industry to gain their involvement in the new motorsport training programs, either in the actual training or by taking on apprentices.
For example, Minda Motorsport is one of our partners, helping us equip the race car workshop at our Coburg campus by loaning us two Formula Ford Racing Cars. Minda have also agreed to take students for work placements during their training.
If you are interested in getting involved in the motorsport programs, either as a student/apprentice or as an employer, please contact John Naismith at Kangan Batman TAFE on on (03) 9353 1896 or 0409 198 661.
