| Jeffrey Miskle has been named the winner of the inaugural National Apprentice of the Year Program
The 2010 National Apprentice of the Year Program is an initiative of the APA Journal and was launched at the Australian Auto Aftermarket Association Expo in Sydney last year. The companies that supported the event through sponsorships include Australian Apprentice Advantage, BOSCH, Force Tools Australia and Darren Morgan Racing (DMR).
Nominations were received from around the country and throughout the year, eleven apprentices where profiled but only three where short-listed for the award. These finalists included Miskle, Bryan Chan and David Slade.
Judging process
It was a very difficult process for judges Stewart Flinders, Darren Morgan and Derek Herman to select a winner because the finalists were all strong candidates. Eventually Miskle from Steven Duffy Auto Repairs in Tamworth (NSW) was given the award. Duffy’s proprietors, Joy and Steven Duffy say the following about him: “Jeff has the dedication and devotion that all employers search long and hard for. He is polite, courteous and punctual. His presentation is always excellent and his eagerness to help out in anyway he possibly can exceeds expectations. He also has an appetite for learning and increasing his knowledge base. Jeff has attended and successfully completed numerous extra courses, from LPG Installation, electronic diagnostics, Auto Tech Courses to RTA Inspectors Course just to name a few.”
Meanwhile Miskle responds by saying, “I was incredibly proud that Joy and Steven thought enough of me to put my name forward for this award. From start to finish it was a fairly long process. It began with several rounds of questions from the APA Journal before being short-listed and further [grilled] by the judges. I never dreamed that I would win!”
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The award created a big boost to his self-confidence. “It’s fantastic to know that all my hard work and everything that I have learned … has paid off.” Miskle will continue at Duffy’s for a few more years to continue building his knowledge and skills. He has ambitions to become a business owner, specialising in performance cars and restoration.
Proud achievement
Not surprisingly, his family and the local Tamworth community are very proud of his achievement. The Duffys add, “We are very happy to have Jeff’s hard work and dedication being acknowledged. We believe that apprentices need to be shown the correct attitude towards clients and the importance of being an active team member. We also feel that the time and energy we have invested in Jeff … has paid off in more ways than one.“
Miskle will receive his award during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Castrol EDGE Winter Nationals, the largest drag racing event outside of North America, at Willowbank Raceway near Ipswich, Queensland. This year marks Willowbank’s 25th Anniversary and it will have many professional racers participating from all categories.
As the winner, Miskle will be flown to Brisbane and provided accommodation by Australian Apprentice Advantage. In addition, he will receive a $1,000 gift voucher from the BOSCH, a complete limited edition Darren Morgan Force Tools tool Kit, and spend a few days at the race track with “Top Fuel Celebrity” Darren Morgan and his crew. Morgan will be presenting Miskle with the award.
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