Construction Equipment Mechanic
An employer development group was formed in order to develop a standards apprenticeship for those that maintain and service plant and equipment. There are a number of employers representing owners and hirers and include representatives from the extractives, access, demolition and rail sectors. As a requirement of Government in the development of the apprenticeship, a lead employer is required and for this trailblazer, both Liebherr GB Ltd and Clee Hill Plant are acting as joint-Chairs for the development group and who welcome the particpation of employers from the extractives industry, and the small tools and access sectors to help form this apprenticeship. CPA development staff are project-managing the apprenticeship process on behalf of the group.
The apprenticeship will be designed for those who will ensure that construction-based equipment functions safely and efficiently allowing construction and other projects to be carried out efficiently and on time. This apprenticeship will build upon an existing framework apprenticeship which has a long and established route of providing skilled maintenance staff within the construction and allied industries to function at all levels. This occupation provides a vital service that is crucial to the prosperity of the country through the completion of vital infrastructure projects such a power generation, roads, airports etc.
The apprentice on completion of the apprenticeship will be able to work across the construction and allied sector employers including quarrying, demolition, utilities (water/gas/electric etc.), piling, rail, waste/landfill, housing, highways, access, ports/docks, and offshore and the apprentice mechanic would learn how to undertake core functional activities around the checking, servicing and basic fault finding on a wide range of equipment, or within a specialised field. They would either through their own fault-finding activities or through given instructions, remove, dismantle, repair, assemble and refit a plethora of components, and ensure that the item of plant is fully functional prior to handover to the operational side. At various stages of their daily work, the apprentices would - both during and subsequent to apprenticeship completion - be mobile and working on-site undertaking maintenance activities and work alone, unaided and autonomously. They will be interacting directly with customers and other employees, for which behavioural, adaptability and thinking skills will form a crucial element to this occupation.
The standard - the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) and assessment plan have now received approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and allocated a funding band of £10k for the 24 month period of this apprenticeship.