Australia’s next generation of automotive technicians has been recognised in the 2026 Capricorn Rising Star Awards, with Repco renewing its support for the program as workshops face continuing pressure to develop skilled tradespeople.
Jaeden Matteo D’Aloia has been named Overall Australian Rising Star, also taking out the Victoria/Tasmania regional award. Carter Boyle received the Overall New Zealand Rising Star award.
Now in its ninth year, the program recognises apprentices across all automotive disciplines who demonstrate outstanding technical ability, commitment to their careers and leadership potential. It also acknowledges the workshops investing in their development.
For fleet managers, the awards highlight an issue that reaches beyond the workshop floor. Access to capable technicians underpins vehicle availability, maintenance quality and the ability to keep replacement and servicing programs on track.
Investing in the next generation
Mark Koplin, National Trade Sales Manager for Repco’s Australian Automotive division and a member of the awards’ voting committee, said supporting emerging tradespeople was essential.
“It is critical everyone supports the next generation of automotive tradespeople throughout Australia and New Zealand,” Koplin said.
“The Repco team is proud to again be supporting the Capricorn Rising Star Awards, and we encourage more businesses to get behind the promotion and uptake of automotive trades.”
The awards aim to lift the profile of automotive careers and encourage more people into the sector, helping workshops respond to ongoing skills shortages across Australia and New Zealand.
Repco’s announcement points to automotive trades appearing on Jobs and Skills Australia’s Occupation Shortage List. It also cites Australian Industry Group reporting that trade apprenticeship commencements have fallen by almost 10 per cent, raising concerns about the future pipeline of qualified tradespeople.
For organisations operating their own workshops, this reinforces the value of apprenticeship pathways, mentoring and opportunities for young technicians to build their skills. Fleets using external maintenance providers also have an interest in the strength of that pipeline, because workshop capacity affects servicing access and vehicle downtime.
Recognising apprentices and their workshops
Judging for the 2026 awards concluded in September, with the Australian regional winners named as:
- NSW/ACT: Ryan Buttriss
- Queensland: Zahlee Jaye Wheeler
- SA/NT: Taran Donovan
- Western Australia: Deklan Garcia
- Victoria/Tasmania: Jaeden Matteo D’Aloia
The program allows Capricorn Members, workshop owners, managers and supervisors to nominate apprentices from their workshops. National and regional winners receive cash and prizes.
Capricorn is a member-owned automotive industry cooperative representing more than 30,000 independent repair businesses across Australia and New Zealand, connecting them with more than 2,000 automotive suppliers.
While the awards celebrate individual achievement, they also put a spotlight on the employers and mentors helping apprentices progress. For fleets, that investment supports the workshop skills needed to keep vehicles safe, maintained and available for work.
