Innovative Employment Engagement Programs recognised

As part of the Australian Auto Aftermarket Excellence Awards, mycar was awarded with the Excellence in Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Award

The Excellence in Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Award recognises excellence in engaging with employees, demonstrating new approaches to finding good employees or supporting the recruitment of new employees into our industry by embracing diversity in recruitment, or initiating innovative worker wellness or safety programs A number of entries were received for consideration by the judging panel, but ultimately it was mycar which took out the prize for its School Based Apprenticeships and National Work Experience Program. The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association sends its congratulations to mycar and to entrants Pedders Suspension and Brakes, AutoKeepers, CoolDrive Auto Parts, REDARC Electronics and Ryco Group Ltd for their submissions. mycar, School Based Apprenticeships and National Work Experience Program

With over 1,400 employees nationally, mycar is one of the largest employers in the automotive service and repair industry and it says it is also the largest single employer of Apprentice Automotive Technicians in Australia. mycar says as the industry continues to grow and with the COVID restraints of the past two years, it found itself in a greater skills shortage and forced to look outside the box in order to keep its talent pipeline growing. Its first initiative was the launch of School Based Apprenticeships (SBA) in conjunction with education providers including CathWest Innovation College. SBA allow senior high school students to commence an apprenticeship while at school. School based apprentices work part-time and undertake the first stage of their apprenticeship training before the end of the HSC year. Both the on-the-job and off-the-job training undertaken by school based apprentices can contribute to their HSC. School based apprentices will commence full-time employment as a second year apprentice from January after their HSC, providing that they have successfully completed both their on-the-job and off-the-job training program during their senior high school years. A school-based apprenticeship combines paid work, training, school as well as an industry recognised national qualification credit towards the HSC. They are a great way to establish the career whilst you are completing your HSC. mycar launched its SBA program in New South Wales and has since expanded it to include Victoria and Queensland. Since launching it has received enquiries from more than 50 schools. mycar says it has been so pleased by the success of this program and how well it has been received by participants, that it plans to open the initiative to other states in the coming year. Since implementing the program in 2020, one School Based Apprentice has successfully commenced his apprenticeship with mycar and the company has significantly expanded the program, with 22 SBAs currently supported – a number which equates to six percent of all apprentices working nationally with mycar, and which mycar expects to grow year on year. mycar’s second initiative is a national work experience program. The purpose of work experience is to provide students with a high-level understanding of what an Apprentice Technician at mycar is all about. During work experience a variety of activities will be completed, which will enable the work experience participant to understand what is involved in being a team member at mycar. It is designed to cover key tasks that will make them feel welcomed, comfortable and safe in their new environment. The work experience will consist of workshop and office-based experiences and will be always supervised by a qualified Technician. The work experience initiative benefits candidates by encouraging students to get a taste of their career, allowing them an inside look at what a career with mycar involves. They can determine whether their love of tinkering with cars, solving problems and taking pride in quality work can progress to the next level. This helps them to make an informed decision about an automotive career. To support these initiatives, mycar conducted an internal review of its team member roles to determine which aspects of the recruitment process and the apprentice role they found interesting and identified different ways of attracting potential mycar team members. This identified both short- and long-term strategies to improve mycar’s employer brand and become an employer of choice in the automotive industry. Short term, it updated its recruitment collateral including Seek ads, imagery and the mycar career pathway. Long term, mycar has developed career videos for each position featuring mycar team members, which are now live on its Seek ads to show candidates what mycar is all about and why they should join. mycar has also updated its careers page on its website, to improve candidate traffic and attract more potential team members to the business. To appeal to students who are a younger demographic, mycar also launched a social media campaign aimed at recruiting new mycar team members and previous mycar team members. To enable mycar to engage directly with students and schools, mycar also partnered with Explore Careers to gain exposure to over 2800 schools and 1.8 million students. This provided mycar with the ability to communicate our recruitment message directly to students. To learn more about mycar, visit www.mycar.com.au

MESSE FRANKFURT RESCHEDULES SHOWS

CAPAS 2022 and Auto Maintenance & Repair Expo 2022 have been postponed

In view of the evolving pandemic situation in China, the Government has escalated a number of COVID-19 prevention and control measures. To align with these efforts, Messe Frankfurt has rescheduled two of its Mobility and Logistics fairs in the country. CAPAS Chengdu, which was scheduled to be held in May, has now been moved to 18 – 20 August 2022. In addition, the Auto Maintenance and Repair Expo (AMR) will be held in Tianjin from 23 – 26 March 2023 (instead of its original May date). “CAPAS and AMR are both benchmark business platforms for the automotive industry across Southwest China and the Jing-jin-ji region, respectively,” Messe Frankfurt Group Member of the Board of Management, Stephan Buurma, said. “Therefore, it is important that we continue to support the Government’s direction in stemming the spread of COVID-19. “Furthermore, the health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and other participants are always our top priorities. And so, as a result of careful discussions with stakeholders, we have decided to reschedule both exhibitions to help maximise onsite experiences for all.” In the upcoming months, the two fairs will carry on planning and preparing pre-show events and activities that maintain market momentum ahead of the physical fairs. CAPAS will deliver a wide range of extended services like online seminars, online business matching, industry research, repair workshop visits and roadshows that offer more far-reaching and effective trading resources for players in the region. Meanwhile, leading up to the 2023 show dates, AMR will continue to offer AMR Online business matching services and organise a range of industry activities to maintain market momentum in the auto aftermarket. Mindful of the COVID-19 outbreak, the organisers will establish appropriate safety parameters to support the wellbeing of all those at the shows. The implementation of these measures is to ensure the exhibition remains a secure platform for business. Exhibitors or visitors with enquiries about CAPAS

DAVID MCCLURG RETIRES

David has enjoyed an outstanding 37-year career in the automotive aftermarket

Dayco Australia Sales and Marketing Director, David McClurg, has announced his retirement following an outstanding career spanning almost four decades in the Australian automotive aftermarket industry. David made the move into the automotive aftermarket industry after working at Cadbury Schweppes as a Product Planner. He joined Denso Australia in 1985, also as a Product Planner, before being promoted after three years to the position of Product Manager for the Denso Replacement / Aftermarket Radiator range. After 11 years with Denso, David was recruited by Dayco Australia as the company’s Product Manager, overseeing the company’s entire Australian and New Zealand aftermarket product range. He was promoted to Sales and Business Manager at Dayco after one year, overseeing a period of outstanding success for the local arm of this leading global automotive component manufacturer. David became Dayco Australia and New Zealand Sales and Marketing Director 15 years ago and has been pivotal in replacing and growing the company’s lost OE sales (when the big three car manufacturers ceased Australian manufacturing) with an aftermarket sales focus. He developed a program of constant Dayco product range expansions, including the introduction of product kits to make mechanics’ jobs easier, when no others in the industry were doing this. David also oversaw the company’s immensely successful online catalogue, which was introduced long before it became the industry norm to do so. He was also responsible for the introduction of several new and high-quality non-core aftermarket products to the company’s local range which now represent more than 10 percent of the company’s aftermarket sales in the region. He also established Dayco’s highly successful motorsport marketing program and oversaw the design and presentation of several Dayco trade media advertisements, the company’s successful local and international trade media PR program and its award-winning trade show stands and attractions. “David brought enthusiasm, dedication and acute industry knowledge to his management roles at Dayco. He has been a mainstay at every industry trade event and international trade fair event during his remarkable close to four-decade automotive aftermarket industry career,” Dayco Vice President - Aftermarket South East Asia, Arnold Mouw, said. “We will miss him greatly from our team and we all wish David an enjoyable transition to retirement after having contributed so much to our company and to our industry for so long.” According to David, it has been a very rewarding career. “I have met and worked with some great people along the journey, and I have enjoyed spending close to four decades in the automotive aftermarket industry. Most of my career has been with Dayco and I’m thankful for the opportunities that I was given to broaden my career with the company. I’m very proud of what we have been able to achieve together,” David said. For more from Dayco, visit www.dayco.com

should contact the organisers by email on auto@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com Updates can also be found on the show’s website: www.capas-chengdu.com For questions related to AMR, please contact Messe Frankfurt Traders-Link (Beijing) Co Ltd, +86 10 8471 9815 / amr@china.messefrankfurt.com or visit the show’s website at www.amr-china.cn to receive the latest show information. CAPAS and AMR are two of approximately 40 fairs in Messe Frankfurt’s global Mobility and Logistics portfolio. For more details about other events, please go to www.mobility-logistics.messefrankfurt.com

David McClurg (centre) with Arnold Mouw and Andrew Schram.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY PRESENTATION A WINNER FOR BAPCOR TRADE

International Women’s Day was more than just a token event for the trade division of BAPCOR

To ensure that International Women’s Day on Tuesday the 8th of March was a day that celebrated and encouraged the ever-increasing numbers of women who are working in the automotive industry, BAPCOR – which says it is Australasia’s largest automotive aftermarket specialised company – hosted a special International Women’s Day presentation and panel discussion event. Held at BAPCOR’s new Mount Waverley (Victoria) headquarters and web streamed to BAPCOR Trade colleagues nationwide, the company welcomed Lisa Entwisle, highly accomplished “Wellthy Living” program developer, motivational speaker and writer to host a very special in-house panel discussion titled “Are men still hogging the wheel?” Joining Lisa in this highly informative panel discussion was Burson Trade Executive General Manager Steve Drummy, accompanied by BAPCOR Trade Regional Manager, Kristi Lancaster; BAPCOR Special Mechanical Division Marketing Manager, Lisa Esposito; and Burson Auto Parts Marketing Programs Manager, Fiona Gotas. This highly interesting group discussion left few stones unturned relating to the often-misunderstood consequences of gender bias, female stereotyping and a number of other challenges faced by women seeking to establish strong and rewarding careers in this traditionally patriarchal industry. “I commend BAPCOR Trade on taking the initiative to have this very important discussion on International Women’s Day and for the many staff members who took part in person or online,” Lisa Entwisle said. “It is through open discussions like these that gender barriers are broken down, true understanding takes place and as a result the company achieves great things as a strong, cohesive, empathetic and diverse organisation.” “The open honesty of all who took part to share their experiences and learnings during this discussion made it a truly remarkable event,” BAPCOR Trade Executive General Manager, Steve Drummy, said. “It was an honour to have played a part in it and while we didn’t come up with all of the answers, this was a major step forward in ensuring that BAPCOR Trade is an employer of choice for women seeking to join our constantly growing and changing automotive industry.” “This event clearly displayed that we work with a company that is truly embracing the change on diversity and inclusion for women but also for men,” Burson Auto Parts Marketing Programs Manager, Fiona Gotas, said “It provided a safe space for us to share honest personal and professional experiences and I am sure that everyone who took part came away with a number of learnings and new perspectives.” For more from BAPCOR, visit www.BAPCOR.com.au

INQUIRY INTO ROAD SAFETY FINAL REPORT COMPLETED

The Joint Select Committee on Road Safety has many recommendations for improving road safety

The Joint Select Committee on Road Safety has tabled the final report for its Inquiry into Road Safety. The aim of the report is to examine factors related to fatalities and serious injuries on Australian roads. The scope of the report also includes possible opportunities to improve road safety outcomes. There are a total of 61 recommended measures included in the report. These suggestions include constructing and maintaining high-quality road infrastructure. The report also recommends educating road users on road safety risks, managing speeds to safe levels, encouraging the uptake of modern vehicles with safety features, and contributing to effective postcrash response and trauma support. The report points out the importance of highquality research and the use of reliable data to adequately understand the road safety environment and how to improve safety measures. “Road trauma touches the lives of all Australians, whether as victims of a road crash or as family members, friends, first responders, or members of the wider community,” Committee Chair, the Honourable Darren Chester MP, said. “The causes of road trauma are complex and demand innovative solutions supported by strong leadership, reliable, accurate data, and highquality research. “The committee’s report outlines a series of measures that may be taken to improve road safety in the short term, while also highlighting some of the steps that should be taken if we are to achieve sustainable reductions in road trauma into the future. “While the committee’s report outlines several areas where road safety can be enhanced, what is crucial is that governments at all levels take responsibility for reducing fatal and serious injuries on our roads, including implementing as a matter of urgency recommendations of this and other inquiries. “As this report coincides with the federal Budget, the committee also calls on the Government to invest in safety for all Australians by committing sustainable funding to measures which reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.” The committee wishes to thank all who contributed to the inquiry by lodging submissions, expressing their views, or providing evidence at hearings or additional information. The report is available on the committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au