Engineering a bright future

Since he was a little kid with a cool collection of family vehicles, Marcos Marshall always had an eye for cars.

Now, after joining the Automotive Solutions Blenheim team as an afterschool automotive hand in late 2017, he has officially qualified with his Light Automotive Engineering level 4 qualification from NMIT.

The 2020 MTA Apprentice of the Year has been eagerly awaiting finishing his qualifications. The 20-year-old gaining glowing appraisements from Automotive Solutions owner Mark Noad and course supervisor Julian Bruce.

“I always had an interest in cars from being a young kid, especially around technical side of things because dad always had cool vehicles”, says Marcos.

“It’s part of the reason why I’ve been better with my hands through school and work rather than the bookwork.

“I’ve really found that I’ve enjoyed working on newer vehicles and being able to learn about the new systems alongside everyone else in the workshop.

“It’s always a good feeling to find the fault that’s troubling a vehicle especially when it’s a new system.”

Automotive Solutions’ Mark Noat says Marcos is already an integral part of the workshop team.

“Marcos pulls his own weight around the shop and goes above and beyond with his work here and his bookwork to get his qualifications, while also being a good kid to work alongside.

“He’s been a massive assist to the team with a great work ethic – if we could have another few Marcos’s as our next apprentices that would be fantastic.

NMIT course supervisor Julian Bruce echoed Mark’s sentiments, having studied the resulting paperwork that Marcos has supplied and seen his hands-on efforts both in the shop and during block courses.

“I started noticing Marcos’s great work during his Level 3 certification, and he’s kept that up throughout his Level 4 work”, comments Julian.

“He’s been able to fly through the courses with a top-class mentality and bookwork, and he’s an incredibly capable and promising mechanic”.

Now he has been awarded his Level 4 diploma, Marcos is eager to expand on his expertise with the Automotive Solutions team.

“I’m happy to be qualified now, so next up is getting my Warrant of Fitness ticket.”