AAMI has a great interest in helping to maintain a pool of qualified and committed new entrants to the body repair industry and is helping young Australians to qualify for a career in the motor body repair industry via its Apprentice Subsidy Scheme. The scheme (established 1997) assists more than 100 apprentices in all States and Territories in which AAMI operates. The subsidies are valued at $12,000 each for a four-year apprenticeship, paid to motor body repair businesses to help fund the costs of employing and training apprentices.
Further support for apprentices of automotive body repairers and painters is provided under AAMI’s grants program for TAFE Colleges, held in conjunction with Australian BodyShop News magazine. Established in 2002, the program includes grants to a total of $20,000 annually for equipment and programs of direct relevance and benefit to automotive body repair and spray-painting apprentices. An objective is to provide TAFE Colleges with some extra funding that can be applied to upgrading equipment or to additional activities, which enrich their courses for apprentices.
AAMI sponsors the annual Autobody Repairer of the Year Award. Held in conjunction with Australasian Paint and Panel magazine, the Award is designed to recognise ambition, innovation and achievement in the repair industry. This is the eighth year that AAMI has sponsored the Award, and reflects the company’s ongoing and demonstrated support for the Australian repair industry.Two divisions for the Award are available: one for repair shops with more than 12 employees, and another for those 12 employees or fewer. Also, repair shops can nominate themselves.