are there a shortage of skilled fitters in UK?

[Muck Spreader]

What, like a vet???

Nobody wants to do that either.

 

[Hilly]

Id quite like to be a tractor mechanic, i prefer fixing them to driving them.

 

[bobk]

If they weren't so f**king complex we could mend them ourselves .

 

[ACEngineering]

Id quite like to be a tractor mechanic, i prefer fixing them to driving them.

Drop by sure i can find you some work experience that'll change your mind you'll be just in time for the mini beast from the east

If only someone could invent heated spanners job would be so much nicer

 

[puntabrava]

Have to laugh, local machinery dealer has photos of his staff on the website, one experienced older mechanic, the rest look like they should be toy demonstraters at "Toys R Us"

‘Toys R not us now’.

 

[bobk]

‘Toys R not us now’.

Toys aren't us .

 

[Hilly]

Drop by sure i can find you some work experience that'll change your mind you'll be just in time for the mini beast from the east

Drop by sure i can find you some work experience that'll change your mind you'll be just in time for the mini beast from the east

If only someone could invent heated spanners job would be so much nicer

Im too busy rebuilding an engine, and farming.

 

[johnboy 4610]

Manufacturers putting pressure on the dealers for warranty repair times which in turn passes to the man doing the the job in less than perfect conditions whilst getting earache from the end user.Then being charged out at £70 per hour or more and just getting £9 per hour if your lucky then expected to buy a van load of tools so in less things change it's only going to get worse.

 

[Davy]

A dealer was telling me that there were companies coming over from Canada to our local ag and technical colleges, trying to encourage young apprentices over with decent wage packages. Says he can't compete against that.

 

[DrDunc]

More money and better conditions in any industry other than agriculture.

Plus all the good tradesmen have buggered off back to Poland.

Turkeys voted for a Christmas brexit

 

[NorthEastLad]

A dealer was telling me that there were companies coming over from Canada to our local ag and technical colleges, trying to encourage young apprentices over with decent wage packages. Says he can't compete against that.

Ive seen jobs advertsed for Level 3 Mechancial engineers overseas that works out at about £23 p/h. Vehicle and tools supplied, Ag dealers here got to be struggling for Fitters.

 

[wobblechopper]

In short yes

Unless somebody has a genuine desire to do the job,it's a very unattractive proposition,the pay from the starting point is fairly low coupled with having to buy most of your own kit and working very unsocial hours (in comparison to what their mates may be doing),also with machinery having advanced a lot in the last 10-15 years you now need people adept at not only mechanical repairs but the same person has to grasp and understand guidance,canbus and any number of control systems........if you're bright enough to be able to do all that then you're probably bright enough to know you could find something easier/better/better paid elsewhere, a point that isn't lost on people already "time served".....this I think is leading to people joining different industries straight from school and potentially moving some away from it that have been doing the job for years

Very well said and a position i found myself in. I also found it very degrading to be called a "fitter" after the years of training and qualifications and years of engineering experience gained.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

My dear old long time friend of more than 40 years was a JD 'Apprentice-of-the-year' when I was doing mine in the buildings, says as tractors have become bigger & with more electronics it is no place to be old. Every piece weighs more, as the machines have become huge, the electronics are more complicated & your time is under pressure. He's built a reputation & a customer base so he'll never be idle except knackered. Taking on a youngster wasn't an option. He'll work in his way 'till he decides to retire & there's another gone. We'll both be 60 in 2019. Who'll break first I wonder? Sorry I'm feeling my age today.
SS

 

[x121x]

There is a hell of a shortage many dealers all over the country looking for technicians.

I don’t think entirely the government are to blame.....(tin hat time) I think us (farmers) are also to blame for a lot of the undesirable aspects of the buisness. Working in occasionally sh!t conditions on machines in all weather with farmers breathing down your neck, occasionally giving you a bit of verbal abuse. Then refusing to pay the bill because they think it’s too expensive. When you compare that to the warm and dry of the car or truck industry you can understand which way most go.

 

[njneer]

Absolutely,massive shortage within the industry.
Unfortunately the salary is not competitive for the level of commitment and skill involved.
Unlikely to change as the AG industry still
Considers £30 hour labour rate too dear.
Given that it roughly costs two and a half times the fitters hourly pay rate to employ him then if dealers are having to pay £15 / £20 an hour for decent staff then that equates to £45/£50 actual cost to employ them so the charge out rate in reality should be closer to the truck / car industry of £100 an hour but our industry just won’t wear that but funnily enough will
Pay Landrover / Isuzu/ Nissan / Volvo / Scania £80,£90,100 an hour because some how they are worth it having had to take your pick up / jeep / truck to THEM at a time that THEY stipulate and pay in full at the end.

 

[kiwi pom]

Big shortage here too, heard of a lad just yesterday, only recently qualified and was moving down here from the north island. The first dealer he rang offered him a job straight away, he rang around the others out of interest and they all offered him jobs.
Think he stuck with the first one as it was his preferred option.

 

[roscoe erf]

its not fitters they are short of its fitters with a degree in computer science thats short

 

[Hilly]

More money and better conditions in any industry other than agriculture.

Plus all the good tradesmen have buggered off back to Poland.

Turkeys voted for a Christmas brexit

rubbish

rubbish


And even more rubbish.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Same in norfolk,everyone wants fitters.most of the youngsters learn their trade and start by them selves.think dealers would keep them if they paid a decent wage.
Nick...

And therein lies the problem. We’re simply paid nowhere near enough to justify the amount of knowledge we’re expected to have, and indeed do have. An ongoing battle with employers to try and get a fair wage for what is essentially an incredibly skilled job. I too, will be another lost from the trade as soon as circumstances allow. I just can’t justify doing what we do, for the money that is paid, it’s got to a point where no one really wants to come into the job anymore, and this job will only get worse. I’d be interested to know what many farmers think the technician is being paid as a % of the hourly charge out rate.

 

[nick...]

About 16/18%.obviously depends on company as some are bloody expensive and others are worse
Nick...