Lely UK is dedicated to continuously developing and improving the training it provides for its extensive network of machinery dealers and service centres across the country, and is delighted to announce a Master Service Technician programme, which will be introduced this year.

The programme, which is backed by leading manufacturers and award bodies throughout the land-based turfcare and agricultural industries, provides a strategic career pathway for those who work for dealers and service centres which are part of Lely’s Service Level Agreement (SLA), launched in 2015.

It is, says David Cole, Lely’s turf division senior manager, a move that will ultimately drive customer support standards forward. “Just as the SLA benefits the end user by providing a strong standard of service commitment, we wanted to develop a career continuation pathway to benefit the technicians within the dealer network, who will deliver on those commitments.

“We have been working with third party training providers designing modules for our Master Service Technician programme to provide a seamless career path that follows on from level three of the LTA training pathway. Now we can offer a robust career path with Lely acting as a base for all training and assessment.”

This announcement coincides with the news that the company has been awarded LTA training to level two and three for five years, which says Neil Adams, Lely’s head of turfcare training, is a “fine achievement” by the Lely training team. “Lely previously represented the scheme as a participating dealer,” he says. “Now, because of the recognition of our training and standards by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers who support the accredited LTA scheme, we have been awarded assessment centre status.”

Neil continues by explaining what this means to the dealers and service centres who have committed to the SLA programme: “By ensuring that staff are appropriately registered demonstrates to the customer the honesty and integrity of our service network technicians and promotes professionalism of the individual and the dealer itself. It’s a win/win situation.”

Mike Taylor Machinery (MTM) adopted the Lely SLA and has a promising technician in Lucy Naylor who joined the company in September 2014 and is studying Land Based Service Engineering at South Worcestershire College. MTM’s Will Stops says: “Lucy is an outstanding student and employee and we have high hopes for her.

“She is just about to complete her first year at college and the plan is for her to move through the LTA pathway and onto the Master Service Technician programme at Lely when she finishes. We’re delighted to be supporting, through Lucy, the next generation of technicians and to be able to now, thanks to Lely, integrate Lucy’s future training so it incorporates Toro, which will have a positive impact on our business.”

Another business that has quickly adopted the SLA, Cheshire Turf Machinery, has surpassed all sales targets for the last two years. Managing director, Steve Halley, says that embracing the principles of SLA has helped the company’s after sales activity keep pace with this growth. “Our commitment to the programme will ensure that we continue to meet or exceed the service levels expected by our customers and the manufacturer.

“In return for our investment, we benefit in areas such as improved recovery on warranty and personal development, which are key to us driving the business forward. The training and education elements of SLA are good for morale, making staff feel more valued and giving them an easily accessible career pathway, leading to the Master Service Technician programme.”

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