Adelaide mechanic banned from taking on apprentices

An Adelaide mechanic who left two trainees alone to run his service centre has been banned from employing apprentices indefinitely.

Scott Thornton, who previously owned Ultra Tune franchises in Aberfoyle Park and Seaford, was found to have left two apprentices unsupervised for a week while he went on holiday.

"This is some of the most extreme conduct I've seen from an employer during my two years as a commissioner in this state," South Australian Skills Commissioner Cameron Baker said. 

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Thornton defended his actions, saying the trainees were capable enough to work independently.

"It was my understanding at the time that senior apprentices could work unsupervised," he said. 

"They were more than capable of doing basic servicing, they had been in the trade for three-plus years," he added.

It's only the second time the powers banning business owners from taking on apprentices have been used in South Australia, after a Domino's franchisee was hit with a similar ban earlier this year.

"We know apprentices are vulnerable because of their age and they are starting out," Education Minister Blair Boyer said. 

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"We do take this very seriously, and we want to make sure that apprentices and trainees are safe at work."

"When apprentices and trainees are left alone, that is when injuries happen. And dare I say, that's when the potential for fatalities to happen," Baker said.

Thornton says he will appeal his ban and that he hopes to be able to employ apprentices again.

"I've been training apprentices for 20 plus years and never had a problem," he said.

"My track record is unblemished."

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.