Kangan Batman vehicle painters win state colour competition
7 September 2004
Lawrence Baratto, right, and supervisor Chris Portelli, examine a car Lawrence is working on.
Two Kangan Batman TAFE apprentices have won first and second place in a statewide Colour Matching competition held recently at PPG in Braeside.
Lawrence Baratto, a second year apprentice with Woods Accident Repair Centre in Albion Street, Brunswick came first in the competition and Brent Chamberlain, a second year apprentice with Cathcart Smash Repairs in Bendigo, came second in the competition.
The competition is open to any level apprentice and the apprentices are chosen by their teaching institute to compete. There are approximately 200 vehicle painting apprentices in Victoria.
Lawrence, who lives in Port Melbourne is pleased with his win and described the competition as fun. The competitors were given two colour swatches to match, one solid and one metallic, and had a limited time to mix up paint from scratch using the tints available. They were judged on cleanliness and organisational skills as well as best colour match.
Lawrence says the competition was good experience and says he has learnt to develop a good eye for colour. "The TAFE teachers are hands-on, they know about the industry." About his job he says his enjoys the finishing part of the work but not so much the preparation.
However his workplace says Lawrence has a great future ahead of him, particularly with this recognition of his skills. "By the time he has finished his apprenticeship he will be picked up very quickly by a paint company like PPG," said Woods workshop supervisor, Chris Portelli. "He is actually better than any of us already!" said Chris.
His TAFE teacher, Frank Brown, says Lawrence is an excellent student. "Lawrence is the sort of apprentice that make teaching a pleasure, he is well mannered, conscientious and a willing worker," said Frank.
Lawrence received a digital spray gun kit from PPG valued at $600 and will compete in the national competition on 8 October in Adelaide. Brent Chamberlain is also a WorldSkills winner who came second in the recent National WorldSkills competition.
