KEY POINTS:
THE QUALIFICATION
What: National Certificate in Maintenance & Diagnostics in Mechanical Engineering Level 4
Where: Skills4Work (formerly Apprentice Training New Zealand ATNZ)
Contacts: Phone 0800 2 SKILL (0800-275-455)
email: here
website: www.skills4work.org.nz.
Entry requirements: At least NCEA Level 1, preferably Level 2. Preferred subjects include
English, maths, science, drawing and design, and other practical technology subjects.
Length of time: 6000 to 8000 hours, typically three to four years
Annual training costs: Typically $2000-$4000 and usually employers pay for the training.
Starting hourly rate: In Auckland $18-$20 per hour for newly qualified. Less outside of Auckland.
A passion for figuring out how machinery works is at the heart of the role of a maintenance and diagnostic engineer.
There is currently a shortage of maintenance and diagnostic engineers - the people who maintain, install, modify and manufacture equipment used by industries such as quarrying, transport, construction, manufacturing and marine.
This area of engineering used to be known as fitting and turning but in recent years has been re-named maintenance and diagnostic engineering because of the increased emphasis on the need for fault-finding skills in the discipline.
Apprenticeships in maintenance and diagnostic engineering are offered through Skills4Work, which run a number of engineering apprenticeship schemes, managing and employing apprentices on behalf of engineering employers. About 300 machining and diagnostic apprentices are taken on by New Zealand companies each year.
Training involves a combination of on-the-job experience and off-site assessment and block courses at 16 New Zealand providers, including Auckland-based AUT and Manukau Institute of Technology.
Training develops skills such as fitting and turning, drawing and interpretation of engineering drawings, production of components, drilling, inspection and repair.
THE GRADUATE
Matthew Loncar (22)
Maintenance and diagnostic engineer apprentice
Stevenson Engineering Limited
I've been here about a year. After school I worked in a tyre shop for about five years but it became mundane so I started looking for something different. I always enjoyed mechanical things, doing stuff and learning how things work. After a bit of internet research I found ATNZ (now Skills4Work) and went through its process.
They took me to three or four places offering apprenticeships, including Stevenson. I liked the variety at Stevenson so was glad they offered me an apprenticeship. We do lots of machining, turning, milling, drilling and fitting. We work on all kinds of equipment, including pumps, industrial tooling, valves, gearboxes, winches and diesel equipment.
I do night class at Manukau Institute of Technology two to three hours a week and one full-time three-week block course each year. About 80 per cent of what we do in the block course is practical and we're assessed on it all before going back to work.
The tech reinforces what I'm learning and provides the theory behind the practice. I have an outline of what is to be covered each year and Adrian [supervisor] tries to make sure I go to my night class with some practical experience of the theory I will be learning. I like learning this way.
I record everything each day in my diary. Going over everything I've done each day really helps me remember and learn. I have a coordinator, Peter Briton, who visits once a month to check over my stuff and make sure I'm on track and and help me if I need it.
THE EMPLOYER
Adrian Kelly
Fitter Supervisor
Stevenson Engineering Limited
Stevenson's a good company for apprentices because we have access to so many different branches of engineering like machining, hydraulics, heavy and light mechanics. We have three maintenance and diagnostic apprentices including Matthew.
Overall there are 72 qualified tradespeople in the workshops. We overhaul anything from laboratory equipment through to 19-tonne industrial gear boxes. When an apprentice comes out of their time they should be able to strip a piece of machinery down, diagnose what is wrong with it, machine replacement parts if they are worn or broken, and then re-assemble it correctly so it does a proper job. They need the confidence and basic skills to be able to work on and fix anything that comes in, even if they haven't done it before.
We interviewed five or six apprentices before taking Matthew on. I liked Matthew because he was very interested in how things worked and why they worked. We want people who can say when they are wrong or don't know and can ask questions. We really want that thirst for knowledge and Matthew has it. I try to direct him towards work beneficial to his training schedule, sometimes moving him to another workshop if required.
Matthew's coordinator Peter keeps him up-to-date with his unit standards and what he should be looking to sign off in the future. I've worked with Peter and I know he has real experience and knows what he is talking about. A good coordinator really helps with the apprenticeship process.