Page 14 - Australasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2020

NEWS
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PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020 WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE CHANGE IN AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR
ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT THE AUTO-
motive industry? Would you like to meet with international experts to build new skills and knowledge?
A new award designed to drive change in the Australian automotive sector is now available. Known as the Auto Skills Aus- tralia Churchill Fellowship, the award pro- vides a life-changing opportunity to travel overseas for four to eight weeks to learn more about an automotive related topic and bring that knowledge back to benefit your industry.
“My Churchill Fellowship gave me un- measurable inspiration to what is possi- ble when working with motor cars. To re- store or manufacture car bodies is an incredibly tough industry and one that requires more than just hard work. To see the results achieved by tradesman who are passionate and loyal to superior craftmanship is something that I will al- ways hold dear,” says Robert Siemsen, who travelled to the UK to study the craft of traditional coachbuilding.
Auto Skills Australia Churchill Fellow- ships are offered to people from all walks of life – no educational qualifications are required – and projects can cover areas such as manufacturing, service, repair, re- cycling, administration, retail, and infra- structure, for:
• light and heavy passenger and com- mercial vehicles
• specialised vehicles such as fire en- gines and emergency service vehicles • heavy vehicles used in mobile plant
machinery, agriculture and road trans- port, and bicycles, motorcycles, ma- rine, and outdoor power equipment This opportunity is unique in that you
choose the topic and determine which countries you will visit and who you will meet with. This may include observing and investigating automotive industry practises, or undertaking training and skills development specific to the auto- motive sector not available in Australia.
“The Fellowship transformed my life. Once I came back, I was full of confidence and knowledge. I started my own restora- tion shop and within 12 months I had pur- chased my own factory and was employ- ing five tradesmen specialists, ” says Joe Wilson, who visited the UK and Germany
to observe crafts used for motor vehicle restoration, gaining hands-on experience at the National Motor Museum and with Mercedes Benz.
As Adam Davey, CEO of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust said: “the Auto Skills Australia Churchill Fellowship is a great opportunity for anyone working in the automotive sector to take their skills and knowledge to the next level. Automo- tive technology is changing rapidly and the chance to build international experi- ence and networks in an area you are pas- sionate about doesn’t happen every day – this could be a gamechanger for you, your business or Australia’s automotive sector.”
Applications open on 1 February 2020 and close on 30 April 2020, for travel in 2021.
Read more at churchillfellowships.com. au/auto-skills or phone for any questions about applying on:(02) 6247 8333.
Sarah Mckinnon reported in her ruling. “His relationship with his parents had been under strain for approximately one month, but there is insufficient context be- fore me to explain why arriving late for dinner would have been a valid reason for
dismissal. I am not satisfied that it was.” The Commissioner ruled there was no
fair reason for the dismissal.
She added: “It is, to my mind, ex-
tremely sad that what was once a loving family has allowed relationships to dete- riorate to the extent that they have.
“However, Pasquale has the right to bring his claim and I must deal with
it accordingly”.
DON’T BE LATE FOR DINNER
A MAN WHO WAS FIRED FROM THE FAMILY
autobody repair business after being late for dinner has won a case against his fa- ther, arguing he was unfairly dismissed, according to a story in the Independent.
Pasquale Parente had been the assis- tant manager at his father Edigo’s car re- pair business in the Melbourne suburb of Brooklyn, Australia.
However he was summarily fired after arriving late for dinner at his parent’s home, sparking an argument which end-
ed with him being told to leave and never return to either the Parente household or the family business.
Now Edigo Parente has been ordered by an employment tribunal to pay his son compensation of $10,115.
The family business, Selective Smash Repairs, offered no formal response to Pasquale’s claim at the Fair Work Com- mission hearing into the dispute.
“Pasquale was dismissed for arriving late for a family dinner” Commissioner