Meet Matt Macdonald

Former vehicle painter and trainer, Matt Macdonald has recently moved into the role of Student Success Officer for the MTA. To understand how he got to where he is today, he reflects on his careers journey and shares his experiences in the automotive industry.

As a young fella, I was always on the go – I never sat still. I loved being out the back with my Dad, helping with yard work, building, and washing the family cars. Dad may say different – I more than likely made more work for him!

School back in the 80’s was still very “old school” even for that era, the support may have been available, but not like it is today. Or maybe it was, and I was too ashamed to ask for HELP! Throughout my schooling, I found ways to distract other students and teachers to hide my learning difficulties, like being the class clown. I had lots of friends, but couldn’t read or write.

I must say, school for me was more social; it filled the time between the weekends, rather than being a learning environment. At the beginning of Year 12, I’d had enough and wanted to leave school. Mum and Dad told me, “the only way I was leaving, is if I had an apprenticeship”. Sure enough, I was determined to leave, so that’s what I did. Before leaving school I had myself an apprenticeship as an Automotive Refinisher (Painter) at Dunn’s Panel and Paint.

I started my apprenticeship in January 1996 and did a full 12 months on job before starting trade school. The best part of trade school was that, because it was something that I had an interest in, I found learning fun. I met some great people, and we had some great banter between us, which made the time there enjoyable and memorable.

Looking back to when I completed my training, there wasn’t anything in place to identify language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) issues or any support if a student had a problem. I strongly believe that we at the MTA do an outstanding job to identify these issues, and have the right support in place to assist our students to achieve their full potential.

I qualified in 2000 and moved on from Dunn’s to Champion Crash Repairs as I wanted to focus on light vehicle crash repairs rather than heavy/industrial repairs. The two years following my apprenticeship set me up to be the tradesperson I am today. My blocking, application and attention to detail was as good as anyone I was working with.

I left Champion Crash to chase money at another crash shop, which didn’t last long, but as they say “as one door closes, another opens”. Being that I had a paint background, I was lucky enough to land a job on the mines in Moomba, blasting and coating gas and oil pipe lines. If I didn’t have the skills and knowledge on preparing substrates and paint application, I wouldn’t have landed the job.

At the beginning of 2003, two mates and I headed overseas for a 12-month working holiday, starting out in Glasgow, Scotland for 3 months. Once again, having a paint background, played a part in getting work.

The best part of trade school was that, because it was something that I had an interest in, I found learning fun. I met some great people...

I returned home to Adelaide and headed back into the crash shop and started painting again for a further 3-4 years. It was at this stage of my life that I wanted to get off the tools and I applied for a job as a Motor Vehicle Assessor. In this role I had to deal with the customs/ insured and the crash repairer, there were definitely some challenges, but ones that gave me valuable skills around conflict resolution and negotiation.

In 2005, 2007 and 2013 my children Jackson, Mitchell and Ava were born. Hands down, the birth of them all is my biggest achievement in life – they have brought much joy, love and responsibility. Being a father has taught me gratitude, empathy and a whole lot of patience! I think these emotions or skills also cross over to your working life and have helped me with my training.

In January 2013 I started here at the MTA as a Trainer and Assessor, hands down my dream job. Training and working with apprentices I found easy and rewarding, I always had a connection with the apprentice on the floor and I was willing to help them with any given task, which allowed them to learn and grow with confidence.

Like I mentioned before, “one door closes, and another opens” and that’s what happened. A new role was created, Student Success Officer/Paint and Panel Promotions. Two areas that I am very passionate about and keen to grow.

I’m super excited for what the future brings and look forward to supporting apprentices through their apprenticeship journey and promoting these great trades in the school environment.