The talented 21-year-old apprentice mechanic hails from Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region

Megan Toia, a second-year apprentice from Capricorn Member business Badgingarra (Badgy) Motors in Badgingarra, located about 200 kilometres north of Perth, has won the competitive Capricorn Rising Stars award for 2024.
Selected from a talented field of more than 300 apprentice nominations from Capricorn Member businesses, Megan’s passion for the industry, her love of learning and her constant pursuit of excellence impressed the multiple rounds of judges. 
“Megan is a great asset to my business. She applies pressure to herself to complete her tasks to the highest standards and she is very thorough. She is a fast learner who follows instructions, can work independently and takes constructive advice well,” Megan’s boss, Harry Burgess, said.
Megan grew up in the wheat and sheep farming community of Moora (population 1,755), where she still lives. This means she has a 60 kilometre drive to and from the workshop in Badgingarra (population 173) each day. It also means that completing her block release TAFE studies in South Perth requires a frequent two-hour drive from home.
“Coming from a small rural town, there weren’t many apprenticeship opportunities, especially for women,” Megan said.
“After working in a recycling centre that offered me no long-term career prospects, I saw an advertisement for an apprentice at Badgingarra Motors.
“As I have always loved cars and learning about how they worked, while also loving problem solving and getting my hands dirty, this apprenticeship has proven to be perfect for me.
“Harry has been very patient; he has walked me though all of the mistakes that I have made and has been incredibly supportive throughout my exciting automotive apprenticeship journey.”
Megan plans to become fully qualified at Badgingarra Motors and after a couple of years gain a heavy diesel trade qualification upgrade in the mining industry, with an ultimate ambition of opening her own automotive service and repair business employing people that typically aren’t well represented in the industry – creating a safe space for them, as she has found at Badgingarra Motors.
Megan will also use her platform as the 2024 Capricorn Rising Stars Overall Winner to advocate for more support to encourage apprentices from regional communities to enter the industry.
“At a time when the skills shortage continues to have a real impact across the entire automotive aftermarket, the Capricorn Rising Stars Award aims to celebrate outstanding apprentices and encourage them to stay in this dynamic industry,” Capricorn Chief Executive Officer Automotive, Brad Gannon, said.
“Megan is an outstanding young apprentice and a very worthy winner of our Rising Stars Award. She certainly has a bright future in the automotive industry.”
The Capricorn Rising Stars Award is made possible thanks to generous sponsors Castrol, Repco and The Workshop Whisperer.

To find out more about the Capricorn Rising Stars Award, visit www.cap.coop/stars