Meet Lara Mcleman - Apprentice Engineer

Lara McLeman is one of our third year apprentices based at our Muir of Ord depot. Lara first heard about Scot JCB apprenticeships through a previous employee from the Muir of Ord depot and decided to apply! 

Lara has grown up around machinery, and with her dad being a fisherman, she’s used to 32-metre boats and described it like the Trawlermen TV series! 

Why Choose a Scot JCB Apprenticeship? 

Before joining Scot JCB, Lara was enrolled in a similar apprenticeship scheme but when attending college and speaking with other apprentices from Scot JCB, she realised that there were more career opportunities for her here. Lara added “ Even the training here, they [Scot JCB]  go over and above to push you in the right direction, instead of my previous experience where you were just in the workshop and left to do your own thing. At Scot JCB you’re encouraged to get out of your comfort zone to improve yourself!” 

Life as an Apprentice 

Lara described her typical day as a Scot JCB Apprentice: 

“First thing, I arrive at the depot and see what jobs are needing to be done. I’ve got a van now, so you’re either here, there, or everywhere doing services or repairs. Sometimes you’re in the workshop because there’s a machine being taken into the yard to be worked on. It’s something different every day!” 

Since starting at Scot JCB, Lara explained how her responsibilities have differed from then until now. “I started off in the yard gradually building up my knowledge of the products and machines and taking on smaller tasks. Now I’m trusted to go on site, for example there’s a hydraulic fault on a machine, I’ve to visit the customer and solve the issue for them. You’ve always got back-up from the office at Muir of Ord, if you phone them and ask for help, they will give you advice and guidance. That’s another reason why I chose Scot JCB, they have very much looked after me in that perspective.” 

Scot JCB Support and Development for Apprentices 

Lara stated she feels very supported by the team at our Muir of Ord depot and by trainer Angus Erskine. “They’ve got a lot of wee extra things, like training at the Scot JCB Headquarters in Glasgow with Angus, e-learning, and JCB training.” Lara explained that speaking with other apprentices at college made her realise just how good the benefits are at Scot JCB compared to other apprenticeships and that everyone at the Muir of Ord depot works together as a team! 

The academic side of the apprenticeship is where Lara feels she struggles with more as she prefers more hands-on work, but explained “Scot JCB really help with this, and with any paperwork or portfolio help you need for college.” 

Lara added “I would recommend a Scot JCB apprenticeship to anyone who wants to get our their comfort zone and learn a whole lot about construction machinery. Just go for it, you don’t know until you take the jump.” 

If you’re interested in applying for an Apprenticeship with Scot JCB, check out our current vacancies today.