Without any prior knowledge of the industry, Kara Green decided to take a gamble. She accepted a job and soon went on to become the first female ever to win the Parts Category of the Hino National Skills Contest, which sees the best staff from the Hino Australia dealer network battle it out for the title.
Despite her background in performing arts, the lure of the transport industry seemed too good to pass up. Green completed her apprenticeship at TAFE NSW and joined Adtrans Hino’s Smeaton Grange dealership in 2015 as a Spare Parts Interpreter.
“I sort of stumbled across this job and I thought ‘why not?’ It was time to do something different and challenging, an opportunity to have a career and not just a job,” she says.
For Green, winning a title at the National Skills Contest has been a clear career highlight. After placing second in the Parts Category in 2018, she came out on top in 2019. “It felt amazing,” she says. “I was up against people who had been in the industry for a long time and never thought I could actually win. I was even surprised to make it to the final. It shows that women can do anything. As long as you put in the hard work and effort, you will succeed and do great things. Never doubt your abilities and never let others think you can’t or don’t deserve it.”
Green says receiving great feedback from customers who appreciate what you’ve done for them is also rewarding. “That’s always a great confidence booster. The challenges I face is just my experience and knowledge of the industry. I’ve had to start from scratch. Not knowing what parts were called or what they did or even to suggest what parts to upsell to the customer if they were unaware of what they needed.”
Green’s advice for those considering a career in the transport industry is aptly summed up in just three words – “go for it!”
She says, “If you never try, you’ll never know. Take on the challenge and test yourself. Don’t settle for second best and always strive to be the best version of you. Read all the books, get your hands dirty, ask all the questions and never give up. There are so many opportunities in this industry so get into it. There will always be work. The industry is such a big part of Australia and trucks need to be on the road to keep the economy going.”