Firstly today, huge congratulations to Chris Biddle, who was honoured by IAgrE this week for his contribution to the landbased sector.

His award was actually bestowed last year but, you know, circumstances got in the way and the presentation was delayed. This week even, the hand-over couldn't take place in person and was done virtually. But still, better late than never, and it goes without saying, incredibly well deserved.

In his so-called 'retirement', Chris is continuing to keep his finger on the industry's pulse. He has a thriving podcast (currently on a between-season break), writes a regular, thought-provoking column in Service Dealer magazine, and occasionally contributes a Viewpoint to this Weekly Update - which never fails to get people talking.

Last week's contribution was no different, offering his opinions on industry identity cards and the LTA. Chris's point was the Landbased Training Accreditation scheme that saw widespread support upon its launch in 2007, has fallen under the radar somewhat in recent times and requires the "oxygen of publicity" to ignite it in the collective consciousness once again.

Chris acknowledged that perhaps the custodians of the scheme, LE-TEC, might feel that their hands are tied in this regard, with the manufacturers who they rely upon to financially support the endeavour, seemingly going cool on the initiative. 

His words provoked responses from some well-known industry figures. Peter Leech, ex of John Deere and a past IAgrE President, agreed with Chris, saying that whilst there are those that complain that something needs to be done about recruitment and retention, why didn't they " . .get on board a fantastic programme  . . that was designed and developed to address those problems."?

David Kirshner, independent consultant to land-based engineering and past winner of a Service Dealer lifetime contribution award, also felt that the LTA is a " . . perfect example of a proactive industry identifying a solution to the very real problem of recruitment, retention and training of technicians". However, he did unfortunately feel that " . . there is an apathy within industry employers when it comes to investment in time and resources to address industry challenges."

Representing one third of the organisers of the LTA ,Keith Christian of BAGMA, who co-run LE-TEC with the AEA and IAgrE, pointed out that the scheme is still active, with regular news updates distributed, a registration system, certificates and a photo ID card which states a holder's qualifications.

"It's all there," said Keith, "but it does need the industry to support it."

Dynamic new ambassadors

Clearly, it's frustrating for all concerned, because the desire for everyone with a vested interest in the industry, will be broadly the same. All will want to see more young people encouraged to take up roles in the landbased industries and continue on into a long and rewarding career. 

We can see from LE-TEC today in fact, some wonderful real-life examples of new blood entering our sector and succeeding marvelously. The committee's recent competition to search for Technicians of 2021, has discovered three amazing new ambassadors for the industry.

I encourage everyone today to check out the three videos made by the winning young people, Laura, Lauren and Chris. Their enthusiasm for their jobs is palpable and offers great hope for the future. 

In her clip, Laura Bassnet who works for Ernest Doe Power and who claimed first place says, "I find the job here at Doe’s so interesting because each day is so diverse. The team have gone above and beyond to support and mentor me, offering a positive approach to my learning."

She goes on to say, "I find this job so rewarding because not only are we supporting our local farmers and giving back to our local community, but we're also continually adapting to upcoming technology. Thanks to Ernest Doe I was given the opportunity to turn my ambitions into a career."

Laura, Lauren and Chris's videos all prove that there are young people out there, who don't necessarily come from a farming or engineering background, but when given the opportunity, can absolutely thrive in the dealership. The problem of course is, many will have never even considered applying for industry roles for a myriad of reasons - and high amongst those, must be the relatively low-profile of the sector.

Hopefully dynamic new advocates for land-based engineering such as Laura, Lauren and Chris, can cut through and connect with other young people - proving that these jobs are not just a closed shop, only available for those with an established history in the trade.

Alongside this, employers may need to consider hiring on attitude and enthusiasm, rather than pre-acquired skills, as a positive move going forward. Employing on personality is clearly a more time-consuming approach, requiring increased training and mentoring up front, but in the long-run, potentially much more rewarding for all involved.

Across the board, dealers, manufacturers, trade bodies and industry commentators, will all be fundamentally on the same page. All will be desperate for the industry to be promoted in a positive, exciting light, with the intention of attracting newcomers to begin a career in land-based engineering.

Initiatives such as LE-TEC's search for Technicians of 2021, must be commended and could prove to be a useful tool for spreading the word about what's on offer to young recruits to our sectors.

What one would like to see happen is that the oxygen of publicity, creates a spark that gets those videos, and hopefully more initiatives like them, seen by enough people - which of course, requires a concerted and on-going effort by all invested in the future of the industry.