Land-based Engineering Technician
Thomas’s job title is Apprentice Technician at Haynes Agricultural
I service a wide range of equipment, including tractors, combine harvesters and smaller things like mowers and rakes, so it’s a very varied role.
Hear more about Thomas's role by watching the video below...
I go into the office and my Service Manager will tell me who I’ll be working with. I service the machines, change the oil or go out and repair a vehicle if someone’s broken down. At the end of the day, we have to fill in timesheets and job cards and also need to unload the van, clean up the workshops and throw out the old oil.
I like the mixture of working on both big and small machinery. If you fix a combine harvester it’s interesting because it’s very complex. But I find fixing the smaller equipment is also really fulfilling.
Different people have different areas of expertise, and you can learn from everyone.
The first thing I did by myself was working on a quad bike. I had to get the brakes working and work on the steering joints. It was very satisfying fixing it and being able to drive it – and seeing the customer so happy when they picked it up. You get a real sense of accomplishment.
I would like to stay on at Haynes for a while, but I would like to visit Australia, New Zealand or America to see how they farm there. Someone I know has a farm in Zimbabwe, so I might go and visit.
Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.
