The AUR20720 Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation is delivered by MTA WA Training Inc. as a school-based pathway and is recognised on the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE). Year 11 and 12 students complete 12 units of competency spanning safe working practices, engine servicing, battery testing and basic electrical systems, plus 30 hours of industry work placement arranged by the learners school VET coordinator.

The course timeline of one school year and reduced competency load compared to the AUR20520 qualification means it suits both ATAR and non-ATAR students. Results appear on the student’s WACE statement while also delivering a nationally recognised credential before they leave school.

Many young people who could thrive in the trade simply never encounter it at the right moment. The school-to-work transition carries the highest rate of apprenticeship attrition, often because students arrive with no prior workshop experience. When apprentices leave early, employers lose time and investment, and the industry loses talent that better preparation might have kept.

By bringing the workplace into the school years. Students spend time on the tools in a genuine workshop environment while still completing their WACE studies. This removes a significant logistical barrier for small businesses and lets prospective employers observe potential apprenticeship candidates before making any hiring commitment. Due to the course availability to ATAR students, it also allows those that have not chosen a university pathway to see their own potential in automotive. A low-risk way to find the right people.

Students arrive at their apprenticeship with a clearer sense of what the trade demands. Attrition in that critical first year is lower, and employers consistently report better readiness. MTA WA’s recognition as WA Large Training Provider of the Year in 2024, and bronze at the national Australian Training Awards, reflects the quality of the training ecosystem this program anchors.

This year, MTA WA Training has once again been named WA Large Training Provider of the Year for 2026 and is a finalist in the national Australian Training Awards, with the awards ceremony taking place in Sydney on 20 November 2026.

As the vehicle fleet grows more technologically complex, the window for attracting young people into the trade is narrowing. The vocational preparation pathway is not a peripheral add-on, it is a deliberate investment in a pipeline that is more robust and more resilient to the workforce pressures already facing the industry. It is potentially the first step in a career in automotive, and the skills pathways beyond the apprenticeship are ever evolving.