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Working Abroad Job Vacancies Job Hunting Guide Voluntary Work Working Part-time and Temping Useful Job Hunting Resources Working in Somerset Wages and Employment Rights Plant Hire Mechanics in Somerset CLCI: ROK CRCI: GJ All sorts of equipment is needed in the building industry including excavators, rough-terrain trucks, dump trucks, cranes and smaller items such as cement mixers. Together these things are known as “plant”. Most equipment used on building sites is on hire from plant hire companies. This means much of the repair work is done by mechanics working for hire companies. The job of the mechanic is to make sure everything works properly. This is important because broken equipment stops other people from working and leads to builders losing time and money. These are some similarities between this work and other jobs such as agricultural service engineer. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library. THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PLANT HIRE MECHANICS WORK IN SOMERSET There are several dozen plant hire firms in Somerset, many of which are small businesses operated by a handful of people. Some larger businesses have four or five branches in Somerset and hundreds elsewhere. These organisations usually offer promotion prospects for people who are prepared to move between branches. A typical branch might employ up to ten people. Plant hire businesses are often located in rural areas or on the outskirts of towns. Repair work is frequently done on site so your job might take you all over the place. Some Somerset hire businesses specialise in large equipment hire and repair – trucks, cranes and diggers. Others concentrate on smaller hand tools. This leaflet is more about large and heavy plant. HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Start as a trainee – or apprentice – with a plant hire business. This may involve doing company courses or going to college as part of your job   Go to college or sixth form for extra qualifications before starting as a trainee plant hire mechanic USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   GCSEs in maths, science and English useful for all apprenticeships and traineeships   Around 4or 5 GCSE passes at grade C (or better) - including maths, English and science – may help for some service engineer apprenticeships   NVQs in plant maintenance   Courses organised by CITB ConstructionSkills More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? The National Plant Hire Guide can be found online at www.planthireguide.co.uk WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. Once qualified you might earn between £7 and £10 an hour. FINDING A JOB   Connexions centres   Job centres   Through applying for work apprenticeships   School and college careers notice boards   Speculative letters/visits/emails   Newspaper and industry publications adverts   Adverts displayed at premises and on industry/company websites   Job offer after work experience   Word of mouth   A Guide to Job Hunting gives tips on CVs, interviews and job letters. To view click here OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WORK   You need to like machinery and know how it works   It’s important to have practical skills, be able to tackle problems and solve things. You may need to do paperwork as well   You need patience, customer service skills and be able to see things through to a conclusion   You might be working in your company’s workshop or out-and-about on building sites and elsewhere   You may sometimes have to repair things quickly as part of an emergency   Depending on the job you may work regular daytime hours or do shifts and weekend work   Safety standards are high in construction so your work always needs to be spot on   It’s possible to aim higher by going to university to do courses such as construction management and building services engineering WHO DOES THE WORK? Ali (33), from Highbridge, became a motor mechanic when she left school. After a while she retrained as a plant hire mechanic with a small business. Two years ago she bought the business and is now expanding by taking on new staff. Pavel (21) is from Chard and works for a large plant hire business with branches throughout Somerset and elsewhere. He did an apprenticeship which included courses at college and the company’s training centre. Pavel is on track to become a supervisor for a team of mechanics. More info: A-Z of careers Careers information dates rapidly. Every effort has been made to ensure information is accurate but please check details before making firm decisions. Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Privacy Policy/Terms of Use