Mark Harper

Mark has been involved in the automotive industry for thirty years. During this time he qualified as a Motor Mechanic in both light and heavy vehicles.  Mark served his time at a BMW dealership in England before opening his own company specialising in BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles, including a separate company specialising in race car preparation and race support.

Mark is a tireless supporter of the WorldSkills competitions in Western Australia. Last year, his assistance was a key factor in running eight regional competitions; Mark was able to get an automotive electrical competition re-established for the first time in many years through his energy and enthusiasm. Mark has also dedicated an enormous amount of time in organising a hugely successful wrap-around event, ‘Discovering Automotive’, which promoted the industry and training opportunities while the competitions were being held, Mark also ran Try’a Skill activities there for the local schools.

This year he has been equally busy in his role as automotive cluster coordinator for the National Competition to be held in Perth 2014.

Mark is passionate about promoting the automotive industry and elevating its status. He has helped to create a number of videos promoting automotive careers and emphasising the wide variety of opportunities that exist and that these days the working environment is a clean and safe one. His personal mission is to remove use of the word “tradie”, as he argues the industry has changed so much, that mechanics are better described as technicians.