Name: James Little
Job title: Workshop Foreman/Technician
Employer: Lloyd Ltd
Age: 42

How long have you done the job?
I’ve worked for Lloyd Ltd for 26 years. When I joined, I finished school on the Friday and then started work on the Monday. I’ve been a Technician for the last 26 years and during the last year I was promoted to be both a Technician and the Workshop Foreman at Lloyd Ltd Carlisle.

Where are you from?

I've always lived out in the country in the Carlisle area and work in Carlisle.

Take us through a typical day.

My days in work are very varied with my normal starting time at 8 am but I can often start earlier, either at our branch at Kingstown or going straight to a job on a customer’s site. When in the branch it can be very busy as I oversee the agricultural department in the workshop. As the jobs come in we work out which member of staff can work on that machine so that our customers get their machines back as quickly as possible. As a Technician I am typically diagnosing problems, servicing machines and carrying out repairs. In the summer months it is good to get out into the country and work on the extensive range of machines we look after. The workshop can get very busy so it is great that we have good people and can work as a team.

What do you like most about your work?

I particularly enjoy the interaction with customers and the satisfaction of getting their machines repaired. Also with this job I have travelled all over the UK and even overseas – interesting and exciting opportunities. Also, Lloyd Ltd is a great place to work. We’ve got a great team across the branch and the company as a whole with everyone working together to support our customers. You feel like you’re genuinely valued as a person not just an employee, which makes a real difference.

What do you like least?
The winter is not a good time when you are working outside a lot as the weather can take its toll. It can also get complicated when trying to problem-solve some of the advanced equipment we look after, but that’s the nature of the machinery these days and luckily I enjoy a challenge!

Why did you want to do this job?
Since I was young I have always been interested in agricultural machinery and I used to help out on my Dad’s farm. Plus I enjoy the machinery side – it’s interesting and varied.


What qualifications or experience do you need in your position?

I started 26 years ago and learned on the job, backed up by extensive manufacturer training which continues year on year. Anyone experienced joining our industry would need to have an Engineering qualification and be used to working on similar products.

They will then be sent on manufacturer training. If someone is considering joining Lloyd Ltd from school then they need GCSE Maths, English, Science and IT grades C or above although this not essential as we will put them through their key skills if grades have not been met.

Lloyd Ltd invests a lot in Apprenticeships, sending Apprentices on a Land Based Service Engineering Apprenticeship Programme at Reaseheath College, near Crewe.

The college has worked in close collaboration with New Holland to ensure that the course content closely aligns with the sector’s needs, backed up with manufacturer training. This same approach is followed across all our sectors.

What is a typical salary for your job?
The salary is competitive, plus there are additional benefits we get by being employed by a large company like Lloyd Group.
There’s the pension and life assurance cover, plus good holidays, competitive overtime pay and staff discounts within Lloyd Group on everything from cars to lawnmowers.

Any advice for people wanting to get into your profession?
If you are interested in machinery for agriculture, construction or horticulture and are keen to learn there is a lot of job satisfaction.

The technology in our industry is advanced - more than people think - with new products coming out all the time so it’s an exciting place to be.

We’ve got all age ranges in our overall workshop team from apprentices to experienced technicians.

The great thing is that, whether you are working on tractors or large excavators, you get a lot of training from the manufacturers and considerable day-to-day support from the whole Lloyd Ltd Service and Parts teams.

At Lloyd Ltd we have 13 people across the company who have over 30 years of service with Lloyd Ltd, including our Parts Manager in Penrith, Ian Bellas, who has recently celebrated 50 years with the company, impressive considering the company was founded in 1964. 13 members of staff have been with us for 3 decades or more, 7 of them are Service Engineers.


Lloyd Ltd even offers work experience opportunities so you can see for yourself what it’s like before committing to it for your career. For anyone considering joining Lloyd Ltd as a Technician, whether you’ve been doing it for years or just starting out, then I would say go ahead! It was the best decision I made 26 years ago!

Check out the exciting opportunities Lloyd Ltd have over on CN-Jobs .