Hastings Deering celebrated the achievements of its apprentices at its annual Apprentice of the Year awards last Friday in Brisbane, recognising the outstanding skills and dedication of the next generation of tradespeople.

Now in its 47th year, the event highlights Hastings Deering’s ongoing commitment to training and developing skilled tradespeople, says CEO and Managing Director Mark Scott.

“We’re committed to developing world class tradespeople within our business so we can continue to support our customers and industries into the future.”

A four-day competition, held at Hastings Deering’s learning centre in Brisbane last week, tested the nine finalists on skills ranging from electronic fault finding to public speaking.

The 2024 finalists were Luke Thompson (Mt Isa), Marlon Giok (PNG), Scott Mathison (Cairns), Liberty Cullen (Rockhampton), Patrick Wells (Toowoomba), Ben Danka (Brisbane), Hayden Riches (Mackay), Matt Whear (Alice Springs) and Tom O’Connor (Darwin).

As the winner of the 2024 Top Apprentice Award, the Northern Territory’s Matt Whear will represent Hastings Deering at Caterpillar’s ‘Dealer Top Apprentice’ competition in Melbourne next February. Matt will compete against top apprentices from across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to undertake a Hastings Deering apprenticeship as it’s one of the best in the business. Participating alongside some of the company’s leading apprentices last week was an experience I’ll never forget,” Matt said.

“I’m looking forward to representing Hastings Deering and the Northern Territory at next year’s Caterpillar competition and continuing to put my learning into practice.”

Matt says being based in Alice Springs means he’s lucky enough to work on a wide range of machines, from old to new.

“Each week is different from the last and I have had many great moments over the years going out to cattle stations and to mines. Working on a wide range of machinery has allowed me to learn a bunch of different skills, which is very handy.”

Growing up, Matt was always helping his father - also a diesel mechanic - with jobs, so it’s always been part of his life.

“I’m so lucky my passion for all things mechanical has turned into a career with Hastings Deering later on in life.”

This year, Hastings Deering employed over 170 apprentices across its dealerships. Thirty final-year apprentices will qualify and transition into critical roles supporting the resource, construction and energy industries.

Hastings Deering also recognised its learning and capability team for their world-class training programs, acknowledged through multiple Queensland State Training Awards.

“As we look to the future, we’re evolving our training so we can continue to support our customers through changes like increasing electrification and the wider energy transition,” says Mr Scott.

“In 2025 and beyond, we’ll continue to seek apprentices who are passionate, curious, technologically savvy and motivated to succeed.”