One of the stand-out elements of Snap-on Tools Apprentice of the Year 2013 program is the comprehensive judging process which is designed to be fair, independent and offer important feedback and advice to competition entrants.

Once entries have closed the following process will occur:

• All entries will be assessed on their individual merit and a shortlist will be formed.
• Shortlisted entries will be contacted for additional interviews or questions, and references will also be contacted for supporting information.
• Final judging and assessment will take place, with the overall and category winners selected on 17 October.
• The judges’ decisions are final.

This year’s program features an all-star judging panel, with experts sourced from a range of training and industry trade areas.

Todd Kelly V8 Supercar Driver, Kelly Racing	Australian V8 Supercar Legend Todd Kelly debuted on the V8 Supercar circuit in 1999. The elder of the Kelly brothers, Todd spent 10 years associated with TWR/Walkinshaw Racing through his involvement in the Young Lions, Kmart and HRT squads before moving in 2008 to Larry Perkins' Jack Daniel's Racing team. In 2009 Todd and brother Rick established Kelly Racing, which is based in Braeside in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne. A career highlight for Todd was winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2005, along with the Bathurst 24 HR in 2003, the Sandown 500 in 2003, and Shanghai in 2005.
Stuart Behrend Training Package Specialist, Auto Skills Australia	Stuart began his career as an apprentice motor mechanic in 1973. For the next 15 years he worked in a variety of workshops, becoming a specialist in automatic transmission repairs. In 1988 Stuart entered the automotive training industry, working for the Kangan Institute teaching certificate-level Light and Heavy Vehicle courses in the automotive department and developing learning resources and courses for Australian apprentices.  In his current role at Auto Skills Australia, Stuart is involved in extensive consultation with industry representatives, with the aim of creating and modifying qualifications to meet industry requirements in the heavy vehicle and outdoor power equipment sectors.
Charlie Palmer Harley Davidson	Charlie has been teaching for the past 20 years including most recently with Harley-Davidson University at Lane Cove West in Sydney where he is responsible for teaching “Master Technicians” as well as the “Custom Apprenticeship Program”. His passion for Harley-Davidsons started at 12 years of age and he purchased his first Harley at 16. Charlie has road raced Harleys since 1990 and has won many titles in state and national series. A career highlight for Charlie includes winning at Road America in Atlanta, USA in 2008 as well as racing at Daytona Florida. In his spare time, Charlie restores older Harleys.
Matthew Frame Senior Manager Apprenticeship and Traineeship Delivery, Motor Traders Association of New South Wales	In his role at the Motor Traders Association of New South Wales, Matthew oversees the department responsible for training and assessing automotive apprentices. He began his career in 1994 as an automotive apprentice, and worked as an automotive technician in a range of workshops over the next 13 years. Matthew joined MTA NSW in 2007 as a Training Officer, preparing, planning and delivering training to automotive apprentices, before commencing his current role in 2012.
Alan Moon Snap-on Business Manager and Auto Engineer	Snap-on Tools Business manager Alan Moon has been in the Automotive Industry for 37 years. Born in Adelaide, he worked for 15 years as a Mechanic in his family business before going on to become an expert Automotive Engineer. In 1994 he joined Snap-on Tools as a Franchisee and moved on to be a sales manager and then a business manager. Assisting our Franchisees in their day to day running of their business, understanding and selling our quality products. Over his career he has trained 16 apprentices and was the first person in Adelaide to use the group apprentice program  staying with it for 11 years. Alan has been involved in Apprentice of the Year since it's inception and is an expert at assessing and judging quality workmanship and bright potential in young apprentices.