Nine years and counting
Samantha Wasley has been working at Malcolm Cab Solutions for over nine years and has recently completed MITO’s New Zealand Certificate in Coachbuilding (Level 3). Coachbuilding is the manufacturing and repairing of bodies of vehicles including cars, buses, trucks and coaches. Malcolm Cab Solutions specialise in truck cab repairs, modifications, and warranty work.
“My uncle works at Cab Solutions and he helped me get the job. I started working more in the holidays and found myself interested in trucks and working around, and with, the big machinery.”
Samantha’s employer Willie raves about Samantha in her early years and how she was a standout compared to previous employees. “She never missed a beat and was here every day after school. She would sweep the floor and then start cleaning the break room and have it all clean like no other had before.”
Due to her great work ethic her employers encouraged her to stay on and complete an apprenticeship. “She was always keen to work, and I just pushed her a bit so that she could reach her potential.”
Samantha Wasley has just completed MITO's New Zealand Certificate in Coachbuilding (Level 3)
Throughout her learning journey one thing that helped her was the eLearning side, “Doing it online I learnt a few other things about vehicles like the electrical side. The theory work went more in depth than what I was working on, so it helped me understand things better. The online learning was easy to follow, I really enjoyed it.”
Working in the coachbuilding industry wasn’t always something Samantha knew she wanted to do but trying it out early - having the experience at 13 - helped get her into a career she enjoys. “I really enjoy working with my hands and getting them dirty. Even if I didn’t begin working in the workshop, I think I would have still been doing something similar to this now.”
Willie is so glad that he employed Samantha. “She has a great work ethic; she is always here first and is always the last to leave.” She is also a bit of a perfectionist, “She beats herself up when she can’t get things right, and when she is making something, if it is not right, she won’t stop until its perfect.”
Samantha’s favourite part of her role is the repairing process, “seeing a crashed truck come into the shop and repairing it back to normal, that’s really fun and then seeing it drive away like a brand-new truck.” Samantha also enjoys all the new skills she has learnt over this time.
Willie is looking at the next steps for Samantha's career with the team. “I would like her to do some management stuff in the future, I think she would be really great at that.”
As Malcolm Cab Solutions are moving into a new year, they are always looking for new staff and potential apprentices to train up, “we’ve all got to keep training people. This is still a growing industry, and this is a skill I want to keep teaching people.” His tips for new apprentices in the workforce are to “have a good attitude, turn up every day and be able to retain what you’ve been taught.”
