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How to become a Land-Based Engineering Technician

Outdoor sectors including agriculture, horticulture, forestry and outdoor power use a diverse range of tools and machinery – everything from saws to combine harvesters, rakes to generators. These all need to be serviced and maintained.

Equipment is often specialised to an industry and fixing it requires in depth understanding of how it will be used and in which conditions, to make sure it is capable of doing the work it needs to do. You could be a technician who supports an outdoor sector, by making sure outdoor workers have the tools they need to succeed.

The type of work a Land-Based Engineering Technician will do

  • Carrying out inspections of machines and preparing machinery condition reports
  • Diagnosing and repairing complex faults in machinery and equipment
  • Repairing machinery in a forest, roadside, field or workshop
  • Producing proposals and estimates for repairs
  • Guiding customers on the repairs required and costs involved
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Instructing others
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the Land-Based Engineering Technician role

An interest in nature and preference for working outside.

The ability to look at a problem from all angles and make a choice about the best way forward.

Confidence to try new tools and machinery.

An ease completing tasks and creating things on a computer.

What you can bring to the Land-Based Engineering Technician role

The ability to read and understand complex diagrams.

Attention to detail when completing tasks and recording information.

The ability to listen closely to customer needs and provide instructions on the machinery they use.

What you can bring to the Land-Based Engineering Technician role

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- building, making and fixing things

- sports, adventures and outdoors

- animals and nature

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Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a Land-Based Engineering Technician

You will probably specialise in one outdoor sector and could become an expert in one area of machinery, for example milking machines or tractors.

The increased focus on agricultural technology – or Agri-Tech – as well as sustainability and net carbon neutral targets, could mean you get involved in product innovation. You could help to create modern agriculture that minimises negative impacts on the environment.

How to become a Land-Based Engineering Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

You will need to understand how machines interface with biological systems and what’s involved in an environment, including climate, soil, plants and animals. Each outdoor sector presents different challenges and machinery is becoming more technologically advanced to achieve different goals.

How a Horticultural Technician makes a difference

Fruit, vegetables, plants, and flowers are all grown in the horticultural industry. Each species in each of these categories benefits from particular conditions – soil, watering, feed, and temperatures – to grow at its best. 

Research takes place to understand what makes the difference to a plant’s health. Seedlings are nurtured in different conditions to compare the results and new techniques are employed to increase the yield of fruit or quality of flowers. You could be the technician who helps to create delicious fruits that feed people, and plants and flowers that make them happy.

The type of work a Horticultural Technician will do

  • Understanding different species and their stages of growth
  • Preparing seed beds/growing areas
  • Following procedures to maximise growth potential
  • Controlling pests, weeds, and diseases
  • Feeding and tending to plants
  • Managing accurate records
  • Operating and taking care of machinery
  • Experimenting with new growing approaches
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Precise
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the Horticultural Technician role

An interest in learning about plants and how they grow.

A willingness to work outdoors in different weather conditions.

A responsible approach to following instructions and working independently.

What you can bring to the Horticultural Technician role

Great attention to detail when you capture information and produce reports.

The ability to define a problem and evaluate different solutions.

The confidence to try new tools and machinery.

What you can bring to the Horticultural Technician role

You could also be right for this role if you have any of the following interests:

- nature and animals

- science

- sustainability

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Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a Horticultural Technician

Once you’ve gained experience in seed production, you could move on to leading a team and taking responsibility for crop management.

You could also become an independent grower, a researcher, or offer your skills as a consultant to other growers.

How to become a Horticultural Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

  • A T-level in Science.
  • An apprenticeship as a Laboratory Technician.

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

The horticulture industry is innovative and technologically advanced, combining scientific research with high-tech machinery and lots of outdoor work. As well as optimising fruit yields and enhancing the vibrancy of plants and flowers, you will also need to consider the surrounding environment to make sure growing practices maintain or improve the land.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Arable Technician
Horticulture Operative

How a Telecommunications Technician makes a difference

Organisations rely on telecommunication systems in all areas of operations, just as people rely on voice, data, and video communications across their leisure and home life. The number of devices that utilise mobile and broadband networks has expanded tremendously over the last ten years, as internet and mobile technology have become faster and more readily available.

Not all areas enjoy the same superfast internet connections, however, and mobile and broadband networks can fail. Therefore specialists are required to understand what the challenges are, install the right technology, and repair issues quickly. You could be the technician who helps people and business to communicate with each other effectively by making network connections fast and reliable.

The type of work a Telecommunications Technician will do

  • Implementing IT solutions involving network hardware, software, databases and programming
  • Responding to reports about failing networks and communications
  • Diagnosing issues
  • Interacting with a wide variety of users with varying levels of technical knowledge
  • Collecting and analysing network and telecommunications performance data
  • Implementing and testing secure systems
  • Testing and maintaining core network infrastructure
Useful skills
Logical thinking
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the Telecommunications Technician role

A passion for technology.

A fascination with how voice, video and data travel across networks to destinations all over the world.

A natural inclination to think through a problem logically and consider different possibilities before drawing conclusions.

What you can bring to the Telecommunications Technician role

The ability to focus, make sound judgements and accurate decisions.

The confidence to define or identity a complex problem and take on the challenge of finding the solution.

A knack for using new technology and creating and managing things on a computer

What you can bring to the Telecommunications Technician role

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- gaming and technology

- building, making and fixing things

- exploring problems and finding answer

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Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a Telecommunications Technician

You could work in several different environments, including large telecoms companies, within the IT team of a big organisation, or within a specialist IT consultancy that helps organisations install and manage their telecommunication systems.

As your knowledge and experience increase, you could get involved in the design of networks, helping organisations transition from old telecommunications systems to fast internet-based solutions.

How to become a Telecommunications Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

More options available after that:

  • An apprenticeship as a Cellular Network Field Engineer.

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

Many of the systems you install will be based in the cloud, instead of being installed in servers on premises. You’ll use cloud technology to roll out new systems to businesses and to provide software updates and new services to customers. You will understand how voice, data, and video infrastructure operates and how to direct different types of calls over the network to make telecommunications as cost effective as possible.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Cloud Technician
Communications Technician
Cyber/Security Support
Data Centre Support Technician
Help Desk Support
IT Field Technician
IT Support Analyst
Network Field Operative
Network Support
Office IT Technician

How an Archaeological Technician makes a difference

Archaeologists discover all kinds of items that can tell us about how people lived and worked in the past. Tools can reveal the metals that were available and how things were built. Clothing can tell us about available materials and cultural traditions. Bones can tell us about people’s diets and health.

An archaeological dig is an intricate process that involves setting a grid, gently excavating soil and stones, and making a record of any changes to the soil as you dig down. Nowadays, it also involves a range of technology, including 3D scanners. Any finds are recorded and analysed to see what they reveal about the past. You could be the technician who finds a unique historical artefact that helps to piece together how our ancestors lived.

Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Precise
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Critical thinking
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Communicating complex ideas
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes

The type of work an Archaeological Technician will do

  • Carrying out surveys
  • Participating in excavations
  • Recording discoveries
  • Completing post-excavation analysis
  • Producing publications
  • Labelling, bagging and cataloguing artefacts
  • Processing and sorting environmental samples
  • Archiving materials, records and digital data

What you can bring to the Archaeological Technician role

An interest in history and how people lived in the past.

An enjoyment of working outside and using your hands.

The ability to focus on your work and record detailed information accurately.

A knack for using new technology and creating things on a computer.

What you can bring to the Archaeological Technician role

A natural instinct for ordering your work and making sound judgements about how to complete tasks accurately.

An analytical approach to solving problems.

The skill to think about a subject or idea from all angles, ask the right questions and act on what you’ve learned.

An aptitude for communicating complex ideas to other people.

What you can bring to the Archaeological Technician role

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- exploring problems and finding answers

- science

- history

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for an Archaeological Technician

Your career could begin in a wide range of organisations, including private companies that need to understand sites before building starts, or charities, museums or universities involved in archaeological research.

You may find you prefer lab research or decide that you want to spend most of your time on digs. You can apply for roles on digs taking place all over the world and could eventually lead a dig yourself.

How to become an Archaeological Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job. But if you're interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:  

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

Your archaeological career could take you to many parts of the world, as well as all over the UK. You could be commissioned to excavate sites before permission is given to build on them, or you could even be interviewed for the news when an exciting new artefact is discovered. As well as working on a dig, you have the option of carrying out lab work, completing the analysis of important finds.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Archaeologist
Site Assistant
Archaeological Fieldwork Technician
Finds Processor
Finds Technician
Finds Assistant
Environmental Processor
Environmental Technician