Automotive Training Solutions

Instructor Profiles

Grant Hand - Director and Principal Trainer

Founder and Director of Automotive Training Solutions with 25 years experience in TAFE (preceded by 10 years in the industry) as a provider of training for the mining industry. Specialities include the design and development of courses in air conditioning, electrical and electronics and Hydraulics/Pneumatics to meet specific needs of BHP / Rio Tinto / FMG / Roche / Macmahon / HWE / Thiess / Western Mining etc.

Grant is an adviser to the Department of Environment, Australian Refrigeration Council, Vehicle Air Conditioning Specialists of Australia, Automotive Electricians Association of Australia and provides training consultancy services to the industry in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

High level fault diagnosis and consultancy on system design, performance and efficiencies provided by Grant on request

'A mad professor bordering on genius' - was how a country town technician described his first session with trainer Grant Hand. Those who have seen Grant perform (his training sessions are more performance than boring lecture), would agree that there is an element of madness in his confrontational, earthy, technical workshops. But there's hardly a technician in Australia and New Zealand who hasn't been either grateful, or decided to change careers, as a result of attending one of his intense training sessions during the past 20 years while Grant was linked to the TAFE system.

"Air conditioning in a vehicle is so specialised you've got to be part thermo dynamics expert, part electronics expert, part refrigeration expert and part mechanic," he explains.

Grant lives in Adelaide, and began his career as an apprentice motor mechanic in a country dealership in the Mallee. He has a Diploma of Teaching, a Bachelor of Education with Post Graduate studies majoring in psychology.

Other career highlights include:

Dick Gowen - National Trainer and Qualified Assessor

Dick Gowen has been heavily involved in the industry for over 30 years. His apprenticeship was Diesel and Heavy Earthmoving Plant Mechanic within a Caterpillar dealership and it has been in Caterpillar equipment that a large focus of his work has been based.

His early years in business have been spent primarily in Caterpillar dealerships. He has completed extensive air conditioning training and has spent many years doing field service work for Caterpillar on mine site locations across the Nation.

With years of field work and extensive training behind him, Dick established his own very successful business specialising in automotive air conditioning including transport refrigeration, coach air conditioning, earthmoving and agricultural equipment air conditioning, marine refrigeration, specialised commercial refrigeration as well as passenger cars and highway truck air conditioning.

For most of the past decade Dick has been employed by Carrier Transicold in their transport refrigeration department as Technical Engineer, Service Trainer and National Service Manager for Australia and New Zealand.

In 2008 Dick joined Automotive Training Solutions Pty Ltd as National Trainer and Qualified Assessor under the Automotive Training Solutions Air Conditioning Accreditation Program. His role within this company is training in air conditioning, electrical, hydraulics etc with his main focus being air conditioning training and accreditation, particularly in remote locations principally on mine sites, his area of speciality.

Automotive Training Solutions Pty Ltd
PO Box 338
Greenwith SA 5125
Australia

fax: (08) 8289 4260 mobile: 0417 830 412 phone: (08) 8251 3894

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