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The John Deere Turf Tech Programme
To assist dealers in recruiting and training the very best people to become the Service Technicians of the future, John Deere developed the Ag Tech program in partnership with Brooksby Melton College in 1992.
Programme Content
The Turf Tech program essentially takes young apprentices from UK John Deere dealers and puts them into a John Deere specific apprentice training program for 3 years. While on a training block the students are located at Brooksby College and study there for four days each week spending the 5th day (Friday) at the John Deere Training Centre. The syllabus includes training on Compact Tractors and Power Units, Machinery, Workshop Processes and Key Skills in IT, Application of Number and Comunciation. An optional fourth year is available to gain experience of John Deere itself. This requires the apprentice to continue to be assessed at work and during the training sessions, and to attend at least three Technical Service Schools at the John Deere Training Centre.
Qualifications
The course fully covers the requirements of the Garden and Lawn Machinery Service Engineers apprenticeship curriculum and leads to City & Guilds 4024 at NVQ Level 2 and 3 qualification. If the optional fourth year is taken a John Deere Turf Tech Diploma is also achieved. It goes beyond that and provides a very solid grounding of John Deere product knowledge, systems and develops relationships with colleagues from John Deere and all other dealerships all over the UK.
This program has been very successful and well over 200 students have qualified or are involved in the program. In addition John Deere students have won individual Medals of Excellence from City and Guilds 5 at NVQ level 2 and 3. One John Deere student has won the Learning and Skills Councils Young Modern Apprentice of the Year Award.
Additional Qualifications: once qualified to NVQ level 3 and completing a minimum of 4 years, all graduate apprentices are also enrolled as Associate Members of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) and registered with the Engineereing Council and Eng Tech. This is in effect a license to practice as a fully qualified Engineereing Technician. In addition the technician qualified and registered to this level can add letters behind his name (AMI Agr E, Eng Tech) as last year's winner, pictured above, has put on his van.
Turf Tech Applicants
Applicants for the Turf Tech Programme need to be sponsored by a John Deere Agricultural dealer located in the United Kingdom and should apply to the local John Deere dealer or to John Deere Ltd, in writing.
The Principal
Brooksby Melton College,
Melton Mowbray,
Leicestershire, LE14 2LJ,
Tel: 01664 850850,
Fax: 01664 855355
Manager, Customer Support
John Deere Limited
Langar,
Nottigham, NG13 9HT,
Tel: 01949 860491,
Fax: 01949 860490
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