Mechanic jobs: Farm machinery dealerships on recruitment drive

Farm machinery dealerships are crying out for apprentice technicians like Josh Picker, who is part of a new training program.

Keeping up with farmers’ parts, repair and support needs during the agriculture boom has been a huge challenge for dealerships, made even more complicated by a tight labour market.

An extreme drop in job applicants just when workshops and service desks needed them most has forced the sector to rethink how it recruits and retains workers.

Case IH dealership O’Connors has always hired apprentices across its 16 locations in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. But the company has recently turbocharged its support for trainees, launching a formal RedStart apprentice program to “grow their own” future technicians.

“GROW OUR OWN”: O’CONNORS REDSTART PROGRAM BUILDS CAREERS

Apprentice agricultural mechanic Josh Picker is excited about his career prospects.

The 17-year-old from Forbes NSW is one of 28 young trainees who are part of the first intake to O’Connors new RedStart apprentice program.

O'Connors RedStart program apprentice Josh Picker, 17, is in his second year of the program. Picture: Supplied

One of the great things about the Case IH dealership’s program, he said, was working in different states and regions.

“I’ve worked a week in Victoria and various other locations,” said the former Red Bend Catholic College boarding student, who started a school-based apprentice in 2022 at the start of Year 11, and transitioned to the full RedStart program in June.

“I found out about it at a careers day at school,” he said. “Working with O’Connors has been a positive experience, and just keeps getting better.”

Officially launched last year, the program includes certificate III-level training through NSW TAFE at Wagga Wagga and on-the-job placements across O’Connors engineering and service departments.

RedStart program co-ordinator Tim Nagorcka, from Horsham, said he enjoyed mentoring young people. “There is so much more involved in the trade than just changing oil and filters,” he said. “With technology the way it is, you are not so much a diesel mechanic any more; you are a computer whiz, a diagnostic advisor, an auto electrician.” RedStart accepts about 30 trainee technicians a year across agricultural machinery service, truck service and engineering.

PUSH TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS

O’Connors human resources manager Lisa Day said the family-run business had great employee satisfaction, but it – and the wider industry – needed to improve how it promoted career opportunities.

“We are working really hard in that space just to lift the profile of the industry, and leverage the strength in our brand,” Ms Day said.

“Ag is booming and buoyant, and that’s fabulous; particularly in regards to people studying ag. But that doesn’t always come towards machinery dealership employment.”

The group employs 392 people, and currently has about 25 vacancies.

But at the height of the pandemic, with about 50 positions advertised, job applicants virtually dried up.

“The lack of actual applications for our employment opportunities was just so low. I had never seen it anything like that really,” Ms Day said.

“I’m now seeing a lot more interest in jobs, but it’s probably not turning around as quickly as we need.”

Brandt director of product support John Pervan said the tight labour market had been a challenge for the John Deere dealer network too.

“It’s not a challenge unique to our industry,” Mr Pervan said. “We are functioning in a historically low unemployment period.

“We need to get that message out there that having a career and a trade in this industry is a viable option for young people.”

At O’Connors, service technicians were their No. 1 priority, Ms Day said.

“I would take 30 of them tomorrow,” she said. “But that is not going to happen therefore we have things like the RedStart program.

“We wanted to both attract people to become service technicians with us, and we wanted the right people.

“Our techs hardly pick up a spanner any more. They have to have strong problem-solving and diagnostic skills; good literacy and numeracy. We are working closely with schools and employment networks to get that message out there.”