Nick is three years into his apprenticeship at CEA in Adelaide, about to roll into his fourth and final year. He works on excavators, backhoes, loaders, compaction rollers and telehandlers, and his days are split between servicing machines, diagnosing faults, fixing breakdowns, and getting brand new equipment ready before it reaches the customer.
No two days are the same, which turned out to be the best part.
On the tools at CEA
Heavy mobile plant apprentices at CEA get exposure to a wide range of machines from early on. Routine services sit alongside fault diagnosis and full strip-downs, depending on what’s come into the workshop. For Nick, the variety is what keeps the job interesting.
“One day you go from servicing a machine, inspecting it, and looking for anything that may need to be replaced to prevent it from potentially breaking down. The next day you could be working on a machine that has broken down and you’ve got to figure out what the problem is with it. Or you could be doing pre-deliveries, getting new machines ready for the customer.”
The most involved work tends to be the most memorable. Separating and removing booms on a telehandler, pulling a diff to replace the brakes inside, stripping an engine right down, fixing it, and putting it back together again. That kind of work takes time and care, and there’s a particular satisfaction in getting it right.
Learning to fault-find
One of the skills that develops quickly in this trade is fault-finding, working backwards through a machine to identify what’s wrong and why. It’s a skill that improves with every breakdown, and one Nick has found genuinely satisfying to build.
“Being able to find out what’s causing a problem and fixing it is really satisfying. This skill is constantly improving with every breakdown. No matter how good I think I’ve gotten, there’s always something to learn, which is really cool.”
Heavy mobile plant involves hydraulic, electrical, and mechanical systems all working together, which means faults can come from a lot of different directions. Getting sharper at reading machines and narrowing down problems is the kind of expertise that takes years to develop and doesn’t have a ceiling.
The culture at CEA
Nick was honest about something going in: he’s someone who needs to hear things more than once before they stick. He wasn’t sure how that would land in a workplace where everyone is busy.
“Everyone’s been really patient with me and more than happy to explain something more than once or explain it another way to help me understand.”
CEA runs a fully dedicated in-house apprenticeship training program, with regular on-the-job and off-site training through approved providers. The Adelaide site has been part of CEA’s National Apprenticeship Program, and apprentices get access to real training scenarios alongside experienced technicians. Beyond the trade itself, the business spans sales, logistics, operations, finance, customer service, IT, warehousing, and parts, so there’s plenty of room to keep building and moving through the business over time.
Starting out
“Ask questions. You’ll learn quicker, and no one’s going to make fun of you. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I guarantee you, everyone will be more than happy to help you.”
Explore apprenticeship opportunities at CEA here
