MEET LAND & WATER'S APPRENTICES AS THE FIRM CELEBRATES NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

Land & Water currently has two Apprentice Fitters completing their courses in the Plant division of the business who have been with us since 2021. We asked them about their time within the company and if they had any advice for young people wanting to break into the civil engineering industry.

Thomas Burbridge is an Apprentice Mobile Fitter and after working in the hydraulic sector of the aerospace industry, he decided he wanted to diversify his skill set into plant engineering. His role within Land & Water currently entails accompanying one of the Mobile Fitters in attending breakdown and damage reports across the UK.

Thomas says he is, “Enjoying learning from our fantastic team members and the Land & Water Services site staff. We get to experience diverse challenges on a day-to-day basis whilst helping the firm to maintain the nation’s waterways.”

He adds, “If you have the desire to be a Plant Engineer my advice would be to find a company like Land & Water that looks after its employees, promotes from within, and has a wide range of equipment to learn about.”

Zak Monte also works within the Land & Water Plant Hire division and has been an Apprentice Fitter for nearly two years now. Like many people that end up working in our industry, Zak says, “From a young age I’ve always had an interest in excavators. I have had many a toy excavator and tractor in my time and at any chance I could get I would be on the building site with my dad pretending I knew what I was doing! I then studied Engineering for three years at Stafford College before finding Land & Water.”

On any given day Zak will have multiple machines to work on, making sure he records everything for reference. He has recently been given the responsibility to look after the Dumpers in the yard taking care of most repairs, off hires and services.

Zak says, “My favourite thing about Land & Water is the large variety of equipment I have the chance to work on. From Excavators and Dumpers to Tugs and Truxors.  Before I started here, I didn’t even know some of the machines we had even existed. If you are looking to get into a job like this, make sure you research the company you are applying for to try to get a brief understanding of what they stand for and be ready to accept it’s a fast pace environment with a lot of day to day variety.”