Merlo UK training accredited to LTA 3 level

The LTA scheme is an important project, aimed at providing a career path for agricultural technicians, and Merlo UK is proud to be playing a part.

Nigel Perrin

Merlo UK Ltd is delighted to announce that its Service Training courses have been accredited by the LTA, following an independent audit on behalf of the Landbased Technician Accreditation (LTA) scheme.

The Landbased Technician Accreditation (LTA) scheme was launched in December 2007, to provide a readily recognisable industry benchmark for recognising and identifying the skill levels and competence of service technicians across the agricultural industries.

It has long been recognised that our industry has historically provided a vague, at best, career pathway and has not been attractive to young men and women seeking a career in engineering subjects. The common view that farm technicians spend all of their time on their backs under a tractor, in a wet and cold field, does not help.

Yet, modern farm machinery is sophisticated and encompasses a growing level of electronics and control systems, all of which need a level of knowledge and skill far beyond the blacksmith’s forge.

LTA itself is a non profit-making organisation, regulated and administered by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgreE), which enables participants to achieve professional registration as Engineering Technicians, Incorporated Engineers or even Chartered Engineers. The overall management of the LTA scheme resides within a Committee comprising an independent Chairman, the AEA, BAGMA and IAgriE ensuring equal representation from manufacturers, dealers and academia.

Merlo UK dealer service technicians will now be able to include their MUK training courses as a part of their independent accreditation to LTA 3 (Advanced) Level registration.

Training and Product Development Manager, Nigel Perrin, has been largely responsible for achieving this level of training excellence and comments: “We are delighted to have achieved the LTA 3 accreditation for our practical training and are now working hard to do the same for the ‘soft’ elements of LTA 3, much of which we already offer. This will mean that students could achieve all of their LTA 3 training in-house at Merlo UK.”

LTA accreditation is another example of increased investment in customer support by Merlo UK.