CLAAS apprenticeship continues to appeal

The attraction of the CLAAS Agricultural Technician Apprenticeship is evident from the continuing demand for places on the Scheme.

From those applying this autumn, a further 15 students have been selected to join the CLAAS Agricultural Technician Apprenticeship. Nine students have joined the course at Reaseheath College near Nantwich in Cheshire and six students are studying at Barony College near Dumfries, which is entering its third year as the base for CLAAS apprentices from Scotland and northern England.

CLAAS is still the only landbased engineering company to offer a manufacturers apprenticeship within Scotland.

Joining the course at Reaseheath are apprentices from CLAAS dealers Southern Harvesters, Mill Engineers, Marsh, Hamblys, Morris Corfield and Ellis Dawe. The Barony based apprentices all work for either Sellars or Rickerby.

The advantage of having a course based at Barony is that it provides CLAAS dealers in Scotland and the north of England with the same opportunity as the course based at Reaseheath College in Cheshire, enabling dealers to train and develop the skilled technicians they need for the future. It also provides both Reaseheath and Barony with the opportunity to work together to further develop the training and assessment material to mutual advantage.

The students at Reaseheath and Barony will both be studying for a National Diploma in Land Based Technology. This qualification is seen as a practical hands-on alternative to A Levels, and one of the main benefits of the Diploma, other than higher technical credibility, is that upon qualification, the successful candidate will receive a Pass, Merit or Distinction grade, which will enable them to better demonstrate and gain recognition for their progression and ability.

During the four-year apprenticeship programme, students spend three years studying the National Diploma, in which time they have the opportunity to train at CLAAS UK headquarters at Bury St Edmunds, and subsequently the Group headquarters at Harsewinkel in Germany.

In their final year, the students gain additional qualifications relating to air conditioning, electronics and hydraulics, together with their telehandler and trailer test licenses. As a result, when they complete the course they are well prepared for full entry into the dealer environment and associated industry requirements.

Following their graduation from the Apprenticeship scheme, these Service Engineers will follow a comprehensive CLAAS training development plan, which is laid out by the CLAAS Academy and aligned with the Landbased Technician Accreditation (LTA) scheme. This programme is designed to mirror the business requirements of CLAAS dealers and also offers career progression through the LTA tiers, from LTA 2 (Service Engineer), to LTA 3 (Master Mechanic) or LTA 4 (Master Technician). As such the Apprentice scheme is the start of a continual development cycle which will offer entrants a clear career pathway.