Building Better Tradies: How Anybody Car Carriers Turned Apprentice Tracking into a Competitive Advantage

When we first sat down with the team at Anybody Car Carriers, their challenge was clear — they had apprentices learning critical, hands-on skills, but no central system to track what those apprentices were actually learning. No structured feedback loops. No visibility into who was progressing, where the bottlenecks were, or how to prioritise support.

Everything lived in people’s heads, scraps of paper, or endless back-and-forth chats.

And when you're investing in training future tradespeople, guesswork simply isn’t good enough.

So, we got to work — using Rapid Platform to build a fully customised apprentice management system designed around real workflows, real learning, and real business impact.

From Manual Tracking to Meaningful Progress

The transformation wasn’t about fancy features or shiny dashboards. It was about clarity.

We helped Anybody Car Carriers implement a tailored apprentice tracking system that captured every competency required in the fabrication and fit-out of car carriers — from cutting and folding, to electrical wiring, to final assembly.

Each task was broken down by phase and learning stage:

• Done: Skills and tasks the apprentice has fully completed

• Doing: Areas currently being worked on

• To Do: Competencies yet to be tackled

This simple structure gave both apprentices and supervisors a shared understanding of where things stood — and where they needed to go next.

Instead of one-off reviews or vague check-ins, they now had a reliable way to assess skills, identify support needs, and track development across the full apprenticeship.

Designed for the Way People Actually Work

What made the system effective was how well it aligned to real life on the shop floor.

Each competency — whether it's “Fit Up | Connect plugs to correct fittings” or “Make Small Parts | Ramp racks | Manual” — was documented in language the team already used. We didn’t create new jargon. We mapped their process exactly as it’s performed, from machines and materials through to fit-out and final checks.

The result? Zero confusion. Everyone from the 2IC to the newest apprentice could open the report and know exactly what it meant.

And just as importantly, the system prompted intentional, regular conversations between apprentices and supervisors. It created space to ask questions, flag challenges, and plan the next learning step — together.

Real Results: $120,000 in Annual Value

Let’s talk numbers.

By implementing the new system through Rapid Platform, Anybody Car Carriers stands to save around $120,000 every year.

How? It reduces supervision overhead. It shortens the path to competency. It avoids rework from missed skills. And it gives senior staff more time to focus on complex tasks — instead of chasing updates or repeating instructions.

But more than that, it brings structure to something that used to be reactive. It lets the business grow its people on purpose.

Apprentices Now Have a Clear Roadmap

One of the most powerful outcomes was how the system flipped the experience for apprentices.

Where they once had to guess at what was coming next — or wait until someone noticed they needed help — they now get a full snapshot of their progress. And they can take ownership of it.

Each apprentice receives a live, easy-to-read report showing:

• Progress by year of apprenticeship

• Full list of competencies completed

• Tasks in progress

• Upcoming learning areas

They’re encouraged to review this with their supervisor, reflect on how they’re tracking, and ask for support in areas that need work. It makes development transparent — and it puts the learner in control.

One apprentice said it best:
“Before this, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Now I can see what’s ahead and plan for it. It makes the whole job feel more achievable.”

Setting the Standard for Workforce Development

For Anybody Car Carriers, this was more than a system upgrade. It was a shift in how they think about learning and capability.

It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about building a workforce that knows what good looks like — and gets there faster.

With this framework in place, they now have a scalable way to onboard, train, and develop new tradespeople with confidence. Whether they take on 5 apprentices or 50, the system can grow with them.

And for a business focused on quality, consistency, and long-term capability, that’s a serious advantage.