Australia's Best Young Locksmith 2022 | 2nd Finalist

Jesse Shepherd, Valley Locksmiths (SA)

Please provide a short personal biography about yourself.

I grew up in country SA in small town of around 1,500 people. When Year 10 work experience came around I had no idea what I was going to do for the week so I picked up a Yellow Pages and gave it the old “flick through”. Locksmithing caught my eye and I called one of the reputable locksmithing businesses in Adelaide to give it a go. I had a great week. I returned to locksmithing for work experience for Years 11 & 12 and managed to land an apprenticeship in the Barossa a few years after finishing school and I am still working with the same company and thoroughly enjoy the career!

What are some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed as a locksmith?

Locksmithing is a great career choice for people who want to work with their hands but also like using their brains. It’s a great mix of skills involving logic and creativity. If you like problem solving and puzzles you’ll love locksmithing. You’ll also need good communication skills to interact with customers good and bad and understand the situations that they may be going through. Overall a great career for practical thinkers to help people and solve problems.

What key issues do you think will affect the locksmith industry in the coming decade and how do you think these should be approached?

Locksmith scammers are a growing issue for genuine trade certified Locksmiths as they rip people off and often drill and damage locks and safes unnecessarily, tarnishing the name of professional career Locksmiths. I think the best way to approach this issue is for the MLAA to boost public awareness through PR campaigns so customers know the difference between a professionally trained Locksmith who is a member of the MLAA and an untrained cheap Locksmith who offers $45 lockouts and then charges $700 on completion.

Tell us why you should be Australia’s best young locksmith.

I would be honoured to even be considered for this year’s title as there are many Locksmiths out there that could easily give me a run for my money. I have gained a significant amount of knowledge and skills through my time as a locksmith and was very fortunate to win apprentice of the year in 2019. Even if I don’t with this year’s competition, I am excited to see what the future has in store for me. I will continue to enjoy locksmithing as I have a genuine passion for the trade.

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Australia's Best Young Locksmith 2022 | 2nd Finalist

Australia's Best Young Locksmith 2022 | 2nd Finalist

Jesse Shepherd, Valley Locksmiths (SA)

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