Heavy Vehicle Forum Comes to SuniTAFE

23 May 2024

Heavy Vehicle Forum Comes to SuniTAFE 

SuniTAFE’s SMART Farm campus hosted the annual Heavy Vehicle Forum earlier this month, which brings together members of industry to discuss the legislation and road safety topics impacting the profession.  

SuniTAFE aims to be a leader in the community and extend its heavy automotive expertise beyond the classroom by getting involved in local industry events.  

Heavy Automotive Teacher Will Sharpe delivered a presentation at the Forum to demonstrate the heavy automotive-related skills that an apprenticeship at SuniTAFE provides students with.  

“It was great to hear feedback that our extensive offering of heavy vehicle mechanics training is appreciated in the local community,” Will said.  

“We were proud to show that we are equipping ourselves to train our apprentices to work with electric and hybrid heavy vehicles, and we even had some interest from members of industry who wanted to learn more for themselves.” 

The Heavy Vehicle Forum was concerned with the latest rules and regulations that are impacting the industry, paying specific attention to safety and compliance.  

“The event is really great for industry as a whole because it showcases safety and compliance for heavy vehicle mechanics across the board,” Will said.  

“It covers the problems faced by big and small organisations; from the farmers with one truck that they use every so often all the way up to big corporate bodies with hundreds of trucks in daily use. 

“The event shows that safety is not an individual responsibility, it is a collective effort. More rules and more compliance regulations are making the whole industry safer.”  

Heavy Automotive Department Boasts Strong Enrolment Numbers  

In the classroom, the heavy automotive department is set for a busy year, having experienced high enrolment numbers across both the Mildura and Swan Hill campuses.  

Enrolments have been steadily increasing since the heavy automotive department first commenced training decades ago.  

Today, apprentices come from a broad catchment area, with some travelling across the state, to study at either campus.    

Heavy Automotive Teacher Peter McLean says that SuniTAFE’s capacity to teach students is highly beneficial for the local industry.  

“The heavy automotive industry is facing skill shortages and always needs more trained locals so it is really good to have lots of students interested,” Peter said.  

“Businesses will always need people who know how to fix their machinery and our apprentices are gaining the skills to do that for commercial trucks, agricultural machinery, and mobile plant technology.” 

Teachers Get Future-Ready with Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Training 

Dedicated to providing the most up-to-date training to these new apprentices, heavy automotive teachers at both Mildura and Swan Hill campuses undertook electric and hybrid heavy vehicle training last month.  

“The training focused on understanding how the systems function and learning effective ways to convey this information to students,” Heavy Automotive Teacher Will Sharpe said.  

While electric heavy vehicle competencies are not yet a part of the courses, the department is preparing itself so that they can be in the future.   

SuniTAFE actively engages in initiatives, like this training, to ensure courses are aligned with industry and foster the development of transferable skills that empower individuals and shape the community's future. 

“The training session is part of our initial steps towards incorporating these important units into our heavy automotive curriculum,” Will said.  

“While this integration is not yet in place, the knowledge we gained is crucial for future curriculum development.  

“This includes potentially using our advanced equipment like the electric excavator, the full electric truck, and our hybrid truck for hands-on training.” 

Currently, SuniTAFE offers three courses in the heavy automotive area: Certificate III in Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31120), Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology (AUR31220), and Certificate III in Agricultural Mechanical Technology (AUR30420).  

“Our goal is to eventually teach these competencies to our heavy automotive students, preparing them for a rapidly evolving industry that is leaning towards sustainability,” Will said.  

Do you want to help shape the next generation of the heavy automotive industry? Teaching at SuniTAFE could be for you! Click here to see the roles on offer.  

Or, if you want to get ahead of the industry, SuniTAFE is offering a Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Short Course (SCAUR30620HE) throughout the year. Click here to find out more.