More success for “travelling man” Scott
06 July 2011
Winning the title "Landbased Learner of the Year for 2010" in a competition organised by Lantra, the sector skills council in Scotland, has paid off in a BIG way for agricultural engineer Scott Simpson, who did his training at Oatridge.
The 22 year-old from the island of Bute has been "head-hunted" by a major west coast transport company, John Mackirdy Haulage, to become their maintenance engineer and take charge of servicing their fleet of giant trucks.
In the few months since taking the Lantra title in March this year, Scott has also passed the test to drive enormous 44 tonne articulated lorries and has built up his experience in handling tipper, flatbed, curtain-side and refrigerated trailers and is developing his experience of working with eight-wheeled tipper trucks and articulated vehicles.
Scott has been on owner John Mackirdy's radar for some time, because the company delivers feed and supplies to the Simpson family farm, Ballycaul, where even as a schoolboy, the Rothesay Academy pupil showed a huge interested in trucks. Mr Mackirdy marked him down as "one for the future" when he read in the local press that Scott had recently passed in LGV test to drive eight-wheeled, 32-tonne trucks, but it was the Lantra win which led directly to an invitation to talk about taking on the job as fleet service engineer.
When he was named Agricultural Learner of the Year and over-all Landbased Learner of the Year for Scotland, Scott was working for agricultural engineers, Hamilton Brothers of Bishopton. He completed his Modern Apprenticeship in June 2010 and was immediately promoted to field service technician covering the islands off the west coast, but the publicity he received did not go unnoticed on Bute. "His success in the Lantra Awards highlighted Scott's motivation and skills in the mechanical engineering field and put him on our radar once again," says John Mackirdy. "When a vacancy for the position of fleet maintenance engineer came up, we approached him and invited him in for interview. He accepted the position and is proving to be a continuing asset to the company."
Mackirdy's have notched up their own success this year, having been voted Scotland's Most Innovative Hauliers for 2011 and John Mackirdy says that Scott can have a great future with the 140 year-old company: "Ultimately the door is open to him. He can carry on his roll as fleet engineer in charge of routine inspection and preventative maintenance, or split the job between driving and the workshop."
The Lantra judges were hugely impressed by Scott's determination to forge a career working with "big machines", which began when, as a child, he watched field engineers servicing equipment on his family's farm.
Work experience with Hamilton Brothers when he was in 4th year at school led to him giving up most of his holidays to do voluntary work at the depot in Bishopton and when he first failed to get an opening to begin his Modern Apprenticeship, he enrolled instead to study for a Certificate in Agricultural Engineering at Oatridge, while working on placement at Bishopton one day a week.
After successfully completing the one year course his determination paid off and he was taken on to begin his apprenticeship, but instead of moving to the mainland, he decided to remain in the family home and travel to and from work, so that he could continue to help out on Ballycaul Farm and maintain his close links with the local Young Farmers' Club.
That meant rising at 5.30am every week-day, making a four-mile car trip to Rothesay, a 55-minute ferry crossing and a half-hour train trip, but according to his supervisor at Hamilton Brothers, his timekeeping was always impeccable. The standard of his work on the job and as part of his Modern Apprenticeship studies is described by his employers and tutors as "meticulous".
Scott says: "Going to Oatridge College to study and the rest of the training for the Modern Apprenticeship did much more than give me a piece of paper, a certificate. It gave me the chance to meet people and made me much for confident. It taught me to open my mind, think things through and find ways to solve problems.
"I had a great time at Hamilton Brothers and I loved the job, but I couldn't resist the opportunity when I got the offer from Mackirdy Haulage. It has given me the chance to stretch myself, to learn more about maintaining, repairing and driving heavy lorries. I've always been interested in them and I never want to stop learning new things.
"It also means that I can spend more time at home on Bute and be able to help more on the family farm. I'm still closely involved with the Young Farmers Club, which is very important to me. It's at the centre of my social life and has always kept me in touch with my friends, the industry and the community."
