Page 32 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Jan-Feb 21

WOMEN IN COLLISION
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PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021
2020 WOMEN IN COLLISION
CATEGORY: TECHNICIAN ESTIMATOR
WORLDSKILLS CHAMP: TEAM LEADER: SKILLED TECHNICIAN : AMBER GABELICH, RIVIERA PANELS, VIC
Gabelich only finished her apprenticeship at the beginning of 2020 but is already the paint shop foreman (maybe the job title could do with revising given the last three letters) with three apprentices under her to train and su- pervise at Riviera Panels.
During Gabelich’s apprenticeship at Kan- gan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excel- lence she was placed first and third in the regional and national World Skills champion- ship and in 2018 won the BBM support award which gave her a ticket to the US to work with world renowned custom painters in various states. Custom painting is her passion and the experience was incredible. She was in the top three finalists for Victorian appren-
tice of the year in 2019 and while she missed the top spot she did win the people’s choice. Her employers say that she has matured into a leader and a fantastic painter. She brings a lot of energy to the workplace and is always happy to be there. She is described as an ‘ab- solute asset to the company’. Gabelich thanked her family, her boyfriend and her manager at Riviera for their constant support which has helped her to achieve so much in such a short time.
Gabelich, like Dacoda Endacott and last year’s winner Maxine Collighan, is one of a new generation of female technicians who are strong advocates for women to consider a career in the automotive repair industry.
CATEGORY: TECHNICIAN ESTIMATOR
INDUSTRY ADVOCATE, SKILLED TECHNICIAN, HOLDEN FAN DACODA ENDACOTT
Endacott was nominated by her colleagues for her natural talents, her thirst for knowledge and in- credible eye for detail. While she has not been in estimation long, she is excelling at learning a whole new side of the business with an open mind and positive attitude. She has worked at Leven since she was a kid. During her time there she has been named apprentice of the year in 2018 and more recently in the 2020 Paint & Panel Body- shop Awards Rising Star and re- corded a video to promote careers in the collision repair industry. She was also featured in Street Ma- chine magazine.
She comes from a family of car enthusiasts and has been helping her father and uncle with their restorations since she was a lit- tle girl and is something of a Holden HR fanatic. She has re- stored and customised her own HR which she and her partner take on drives with the Cudgegon Cruisers car club.
While accepting her award Enda- cott said: “I’d like to give some ad- vice to women in this industry, there are always opportunities to grow so always look for opportunities to im- prove your skills. Put in the hard work and the results will speak for themselves.”