How to become a panel beater

Sheen Resources
Careers
Sheen Panel Service
April 17, 2023
April 19, 2023
4 minute read

Drive your success with a panel beater apprenticeship and start your career in the collision repair industry, under the training and experience of Sheen Panel Service. Once you have applied, complete combined study on campus and on-the-job, with an additional year on the job to set yourself up industry ties and knowledge that will secure you a promising trajectory in panel beating.

Start your future with a panel beater apprenticeship at Sheen Panel Service. Learn how to become a panel beater from the best, and set yourself up for genuine career progression by contacting us online or giving us a call.

How to become a panel beater

Are you passionate about the automotive industry, and looking to accelerate your career by starting a panel beater apprenticeship? Well chances are you have wondered about the process of how to become a panel beater.

In Australia, to become a practising panel beater you must attain a trade certificate and have completed generally four years of training. Here is what you can expect to experience:

Step 1. Apply for an apprenticeship with a reputable training provider

Several training institutions in Australia work hand-in-hand with smash repairers, like Sheen Panel Service. Sheen Panel Service collaborates with Kangan Institute's Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) for panel beater apprenticeship training.

There are other TAFE's that offer Automotive training and panel beater apprenticeships in the Melbourne area, but be sure to enquire which smash repairers they are partnered with so can do your research and only work with the leaders in panel beating like Sheen Panel Service.

Step 2. Complete three years of combined study on campus with on-the-job training

Every year we see new cars enter the Australian motor vehicle market with new models comes new technology—and new repair methods that need to be applied. Recognising this need for constant innovation, Sheen Panel Service workshops ensure that all of its panel beater apprenticeship students possess I-CAR training qualifications.

I-CAR is a globally recognised training organisation for collision repairs. With I-CAR training, all Sheen panel beater apprenticeship students have the most up-to-date industry knowledge for repairing the latest vehicle models available in Australia.

Step 3. Complete an additional year of on-the-job-training at a panel beating workshop

This is the time to put your training into practise, with more autonomy and responsibility than what comes with a panel beater apprenticeship. Become an integral part of the team in your final year and cement your training and technique with your mentor by your side. Most students in their final year of their panel beater apprenticeship use this year to perfect their procedures in how to become a panel beater.

Step 4. Apply for a position at a workshop with reputable industry ties and ongoing training opportunities

On your road to discovering how to become a panel beater, don't just think about your current prospects. Consider how your next employer can help develop your career in the future. If they can't offer you continuous training support after your panel beater apprenticeship, you won't stay abreast of the latest collision repair procedures.

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So what does a panel beater apprenticeship look like?

No industry is black and white, and when there are so many roads to go down and roles to pursue it can be hard to commit to an idea. So what does a panel beater apprenticeship look like? At Sheen Panel Service, we incorporate each facet of the trade into our panel beater apprenticeship so that our apprentices are exposed to all areas and opportunities.

Training areas for how to become a panel beater:

  • Removing, repairing, and replacing damaged panels on any vehicle
  • Making or forming panels to replaced damaged ones
  • Repair dents on a damaged vehicle using fillers
  • Filing, grinding, and sanding the body of a vehicle to restore a smooth vehicle surface
  • Re-fit body hardware, such as door locks
  • Realigning chassis and body frames
  • Removing and replacing a vehicle’s auto-electric components if damaged

It goes without saying that the above practises will be administered on all makes and models of cars who have sustained minor to major damage in an accident. Your panel beater apprenticeship will include training in the globally recognised I CAR, which will see you keeping your panel beater apprenticeship current and at the forefront of trade best practise.

How to become a panel beater at Sheen Panel Service

Most apprenticeships will cover the key basics, but as industry leaders for over 45 years we work to get our apprenticeships performing above the market. At Sheen Panel Service you will be mentored by some of the greatest minds in the trade and exposed to the greater business model.

Additionally, our ongoing partnership with VACC and I CAR ensure that your professional growth and career development are taken care of with extensive training provided.

Sheen Panel Service has a great rapport with customers, but we are also known to be a reputable employer committed to shaping the young minds of those pursuing a panel beater apprenticeship.

Discover more about a panel beater apprenticeship by visiting our apprenticeships page.

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