The inaugural Daniel Gherini Apprentice Scholarship course was held at the HEXIS Melbourne training facility in Keysborough in mid-June, bringing together a group of promising young signage and vehicle-wrapping apprentices from across Australia.

Following considerable deliberation, the organisers decided that the applicants were too difficult to separate and invited all of them to participate in the inaugural program.

The successful apprentices travelled from across the country. Ture made the long journey from Karratha in Western Australia, while Abbey travelled from Newcastle in New South Wales. Akala and Seb travelled from Tasmania, with local Melbourne apprentice Lorenzo completing the initial group.

Most of the participants arrived on Sunday, allowing them to be rested and ready for four intensive days of hands-on training covering vehicle wrapping and Bodyfence PPF applications.

They were joined by Patrick, also from Tasmania, as well as Lumi and Hemsi. The group quickly embraced the training, working enthusiastically alongside John Papadopoulos from Blurred Image.

John was particularly impressed by the participants' commitment throughout the week, as well as the quality of the questions they asked and the noticeable improvements they made during the training.

He also commented on how refreshing it was to work with a group of younger signage trainees and to see more young people showing an interest in entering and developing their careers within the industry.

Remembering Daniel

With the HEXIS PWS Battle scheduled to take place at the conclusion of the training week, HEXIS Managing Director Ian Parsonson took the opportunity to fly down early and join the group for dinner on the second-last evening of the course.

The evening also provided an opportunity for everyone to pause and reflect on Daniel Gherini's memory and raise a toast in his honour.

There was also some friendly sporting rivalry during the week. Ture's enthusiastic support for Queensland during the State of Origin series did not go unnoticed by passionate NSW Blues supporter Ian Parsonson. With the series heading towards its decider, Ian would have to wait for his opportunity to return the favour.

The training concluded on Thursday after four days of hands-on instruction, with the group completing their 2 x 2 training sessions before saying goodbye and thanking everyone for making the time to attend.

Strong Feedback from Employers

The value of the scholarship was also reflected in feedback from the apprentices' employers.

Phil Hosking from DMTAS reached out following the course to express his appreciation for the generosity and hospitality shown throughout the program.

“I just wanted to reach out and say how extremely grateful we are of the generosity and hospitality shown to us and of course Seb upon completion of the courses offered. Please pass on a huge thank you to all involved, it is much appreciated.”

Chris from Wrap Craft Tasmania also highlighted the positive response from the apprentices following their return.

“It's great to hear they were engaged and got so much out of the week. They both came back with plenty of positive feedback, and we've already started discussing some of the techniques and ideas they picked up, particularly around both cast wrap and PPF applications.”

Barney from Hunter Signs also expressed his appreciation for having Abbey participate in the program, noting that she returned with renewed enthusiasm for Bodyfence PPF and a strong desire to continue developing her skills.

Investing in the Next Generation

Lee Farrell, National Sales Director, said it was particularly encouraging to see so many businesses investing in their apprentices and supporting them to take time away from their workplaces to participate.

“The hands-on training and knowledge sharing are invaluable, and it's great to be able to invest in developing the skills of our team.”

That commitment was evident throughout the scholarship, with the participating companies getting behind their apprentices and supporting their time away from the business to attend the four-day program.

The inaugural Daniel Gherini Apprentice Scholarship provided not only technical training in cast wrap and PPF application, but also an opportunity for a new generation of industry talent to connect, learn from experienced installers and develop their skills.

HEXIS extended its thanks to all the apprentices, employers, trainers and supporters who contributed to making the inaugural scholarship a success.

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