After taking voluntary redundancy from my previous job, I took my present job at AGC Chemicals Europe. I work in the maintenance department carrying out routine maintenance and attending to breakdowns. I work with heavy items of plant that routinely need stripping for maintenance, this includes hydraulics, pneumatics, all types of drives and gearboxes, the list is quite extensive.

I was the successful applicant for the above job in the same department in which I worked. I went from craftsperson to the next stage where I had a more involved role in the running of the Engineering team whilst maintaining my hands-on experience. This included attending engineering meetings, planning work on an individual basis and on a plant requirement basis using Maximo for preventative maintenance and T-cards for breakdowns. I liased with the production department to plan outages and larger maintenance tasks. I had daily contact with suppliers to provide us with spares at a competitive price whilst meeting the industry standards and specifications.

After completing my Advanced Modern Apprenticeship I was taken on by Springfields Fuels Ltd as a Mechanical Craftsperson where I gained on plant fitting/maintenance/repair experience. Such items of plant included hydraulics, pneumatics, all types of drives, compressors, refrigeration plants, pumps, pipework, fans, gearboxes etc. Frequently stood in as Chargehand where I had to prioritise jobs, hand out jobs to the shop-floor, filled in time-sheets, attended engineering meetings and all other aspects of being Chargehand. Often worked flexibly, working extra hours during outages at evenings and weekends this included being on the ‘call-out' register in the event of a breakdown out of hours. Completed Level 3 (site course) in Rope Access, saving the company valuable time and money. Attended various on-site courses.

Worked weekends and holidays whilst at school at West Coast Off- Road Centre furthering my interest in mechanical work, during which I decided I wanted to pursue a career doing mechanical fitting/maintenance/repair work.

Worked from an early age at weekends and holidays during school years at family farm gaining an insight into work.