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Equipment mechanic contractor machine mechanic agricultural machine mechanic and the other paths through the education
Contracting and agricultural machinery education is not just one straight line from basic course to journeyman. The education is built up in tiers where you first become a material mechanic and then can specialize in one of several specializations. This gives you the opportunity to find the field that fits you best without having to choose everything in advance.
After the basic course the main course begins, where you alternate between school stays and practical training with a master. The first level leads to the title of equipment mechanic, which is the broad basic training in the trade: engine, hydraulics, transmission, electricity, and the basic workshop crafts you meet regardless of which type of machine you later specialize in. The main course at level 1 lasts approximately a year and a half, of which classroom instruction makes up a smaller part distributed over several school periods — the rest is practical work in a company.
If you want more, you can continue to level 2 and educate yourself in one of the trade's specialties. The common specialties are contractor machinery mechanic, agricultural machinery mechanic, personal lift mechanic, and agricultural blacksmith — as well as crane mechanic, which is completed without a formal level. Each specialty builds on the foundation from level 1 but goes in depth with that specific machine type: excavators and dozers for the contractor machinery mechanic, combine harvesters and field implements for the agricultural machinery mechanic, lifts and personnel lifters for the personal lift mechanic.
The education ends with a journeyman test. Here you show what you have learned typically through a masterpiece or practical task representative of the trade. The journeyman test is assessed by master craftsmen — experienced professionals designated by the professional committee — and evaluated on a fixed scale where the result ranges from passed to excellent. It is not just the technical solution that counts: working process safety documentation and organisation are also part of the assessment.
With the journeyman's certificate in hand you stand with a broad and sought-after education. Many continue in the trade as mechanics with a machinery dealer or specialised workshop while others over time move towards workshop manager or service manager roles. There are also ongoing courses and certifications — for example in diagnostic equipment air conditioning or specific machine makes — that keep your knowledge up to date as the technology in the machines evolves.
Regardless of which speciality you choose, you build on the same professional foundation: understanding of engine, hydraulics, electrics and mechanics, combined with a systematic and safe working method. It is this combination that makes a plant mechanic a valued professional, whether the machine is in a field or on a building site.