Agricultural machinery dealerships invest in growing apprenticeship programs

Mr Patterson went to school in Gunnedah, NSW, before leaving in the first term of year 11 when he was offered an apprenticeship with Hutcheon & Pearce in his hometown.

The 22-year-old now works as a tradesman mechanic with Hutcheon & Pearce and spends his days servicing John Deere machinery for farmers across the Liverpool Plains.

"The opportunity popped up when I left school and I wouldn't change a thing," he said.

"I used to harass Pop in the shed for years when I was a little kid pulling stuff apart and then I sort of took it on myself pulling pushbikes apart and really sort of got a love for mechanics and went for it.

"The older you get the bigger the toys get, I like that, it's good fun."

Stories like Mr Patterson's are music to the ears of Australia's more than 350 agricultural machinery dealerships.

But even if 500 more young men and women like him signed up for a job tomorrow, it still wouldn't be enough to meet the industry's skilled labour shortfall.

Many of these dealerships are now taking matters into their own hands by partnering with, or becoming, a registered training organisation to ensure the next crop of staff have skills that are fit for purpose.

Hutcheon & Pearce training and apprenticeship coordinator Shayne Newton oversees the company's popular TopGun apprenticeship program.

"It's probably the most vital thing for us at the moment, with the shortage we can't find qualified technicians," Ms Newton said.

"So if we can build them on our own through our program that is tailored around the John Deere brand, it helps with our retention rates and keeping people long-term."

The program has been run in collaboration with TAFE NSW for seven years and has an average intake of 15 to 20 people.

Next year Ms Newton said they are looking to lift this figure to 40.

"The apprentices get to come down to Wagga and attend TAFE with our TopGun classes," she said.

"They're in a class wholly and solely of Hutcheon & Pearce people and the rest of the time is spent learning in the workshops and out in the field with qualified technicians."

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CNH Industrial also runs a four-year apprentice training program in partnership with Riverina TAFE.

The program had 34 apprentices in its first intake six years ago.

This year there are 200 trainees from Case IH and New Holland dealers across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania taking part.

CNH Industrial Australia/New Zealand technical training manager Darryl Piper said that figure would be even higher in 2023 as the program continued to grow.

Mr Piper said the advantage of the program was apprentices were working on the latest Case IH or New Holland machines, technology and diagnostic tools as well as being trained by instructors who had been taught by CNH trainers.

"What we were finding is we were having to go out and actually train the technicians that had already done an apprenticeship through the TAFE system on the fundamentals," he said.

"The big reason behind that was the apprentices were typically doing a heavy vehicle apprenticeship or they were doing something plant related, it wasn't agriculture specific.

"With Wagga TAFE we have an agricultural specific program that is being delivered to the apprentices."

Mr Piper said whether it was agricultural machinery, motor vehicles or trucks, labour was the industry's biggest issue.

He said while apprenticeship numbers were increasing, it was not enough to keep with the industry's growing need.

"We have dealer groups that might have seven or eight branches and if there were 30 technicians they would employ them instantly," he said.

"Some of our dealers are in country areas and those young guys are leaving the country and going to the city or bigger places.

"Young people are leaving the bush because their mates have done it."

West Australian-based dealership network McIntosh & Son identified in 2017 there was an issue with the skill level and quality of training its apprentices were receiving through the TAFE system and other private RTOs.

The matter was extensively discussed internally, as well as with industry, and the company decided to go down the path of becoming an RTO.

McIntosh & Son currently offers a certificate III in agricultural mechanical technology and a certificate II in automotive air conditioning technology.

It is also applying to offer a certificate III in automotive electrical technology and a certificate III in automotive sales in 2023.

McIntosh & Son training and compliance manager Paul Berghella said the difference in competency levels as a result of running its own training program had been quite amazing.

The program averages around 20 apprentices each year however he said this could increase by another 10 positions next year.

"We used to have apprentices in their fourth year that were still requiring mentoring in order to work on machinery and it just wasn't good enough," he said.

"We have second-year apprentices now doing real work and that can work on their own in certain areas; some are actually in vehicles going out to farms."

Mr Berghella said running an internal training program was a big task but it was showing dividends.

This year the group will have its first fourth-year graduates and the acceleration in the knowledge building and competency of staff is clear.

Mr Berghella said the group had also been approached by schools to run two school-based training programs - a certificate II in automotive servicing technology and a certificate II in automotive electrical technology.

As a result it has applied for scope to roll out these two courses in 2023.

"If you took a snapshot starting with a school-based traineeship under either of the cert II qualifications, moving into the certificate III apprenticeships, there is a real possibility that a student will end up with several nationally recognised certifications and a dual trade qualification," he said.

"This then opens the pathway into certificate IV and onward into a diploma and so on; the agricultural industry also provides for specialised opportunities into specific areas post-trade."

Mr Berghella said this was an exciting career move for any student leaving school and, importantly, it opened up opportunities in the regions.

So why should young people consider this career path?

"It doesn't matter what part of it you join, you are a much needed person in that area in expertise," Mr Berghella said.

"Every day is a challenge - it's not like working in a workshop on cars - in our industry things develop moment by moment.

"There's the whole spectrum of what can happen working on the land; some tragic things happen and some fantastic, exciting things happen."