Ben McBride’s decision to undertake an automotive mechanic apprenticeship and train at CQUniversity has seen his career go into overdrive, with the 24-year-old now running his own business.
The skills, knowledge and hands-on training Ben learned while studying at CQUniversity in Rockhampton gave him the confidence to go out on his own and start McBride Mechanical.
Ben said the decision to start his own auto-mechanic workshop was one he had always dreamed of.
McBride Mechanical is currently in its second year of business, with a small team of one employee, and they are hoping to expand with a second soon, potentially adding an apprentice next year.
“My wife and I have always wanted to own our own business and I was doing a few weekend jobs and after work jobs while working at Toyota,” Ben said.
Ben said he has always had passion and love for the automotive industry and he started his apprenticeship while at Ian Weigh Toyota.
Coming from a rural background, Ben wanted to do more than just service cars.
In May 2021, they made the decision to resign to give the business a real go and haven’t looked back since.
The processes and challenges that come with diagnosing vehicle issues and machinery is one of his favourite parts of the job.
“My dad was a mechanic himself and I’m definitely a very hands-on person, so when the opportunity arose in Year 11 to complete a Certificate II in Light Vehicle Automotive (at CQU) I signed myself straight-up,” Ben said.
“I believe the training I received at CQU was great, they were hands-on when they needed to be but also ensured you were properly trained and didn’t just tick-and-flick you through the courses.”.
Ben encourages anyone considering studying auto-mechanical or taking on an apprenticeship to give it a go.