Maintenance training: experience report from participant Dominic Hochuli - my training path leads from maintenance specialist to Head of Facility Management and Maintenance
Tell us about your background.
My name is Dominic Hochuli. I work at Franke Küchentechnik in Aarburg. I had already completed my apprenticeship as a polymechanic there. Just under a year ago, I completed my training as a maintenance specialist.
What motivated you to take the Maintenance Specialist course?
I was already fascinated by the field of maintenance during my apprenticeship and I knew that I would complete a maintenance apprenticeship later on. At an exhibition, I saw a brochure about the continuing education, further training course for maintenance specialists at wbz Lenzburg. I then found out more about it and decided to complete this continuing education, further training.
What exactly convinced you to complete the maintenance apprenticeship at wbz Lenzburg?
Among other things, wbz Lenzburg is very well located for me. The practical training in maintenance also appealed to me. That's why I decided to complete the continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist at wbz.
How does the maintenance training support you in your professional activities?
The maintenance training supports me in my professional work in that I was able to learn a lot of new things. I can apply this knowledge directly as a maintenance specialist. For example, communication is an important topic, as are cost controlling, law and safety.
What did you like best about continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist?
What I liked best about continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist was the communication and meeting other professionals from different specialist areas such as plumbing, electrics and mechanics. It made for an exciting exchange. We were able to benefit and learn from each other during the maintenance training.
Were there any challenging moments during the maintenance training?
There were also challenging moments for me during my maintenance training. This certainly included preparing for the Federal Professional Examination. I was very nervous and had to repeat a lot from the entire maintenance specialist training course. This was a challenging moment for me.
How did you deal with challenges during your continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist?
I made time for the challenges during my continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist. We studied together every Saturday in the maintenance training group. This enabled us to optimally prepare together for the Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Maintenance.
What did you find particularly helpful during your maintenance training?
All the subjects during the maintenance apprenticeship were very important and interesting for me. For example, I found the maintenance strategies very exciting. However, communication is also extremely important from my point of view. Communication is very important in our time as maintenance specialists.
Have you been able to position yourself better professionally thanks to continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist?
Continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist has definitely enabled me to position myself better professionally. I can take on more responsibility in the business, manage my own projects and supervise apprentices.
Is there a specific success that you were able to achieve thanks to the maintenance training?
Thanks to the maintenance training, I have already been able to handle various projects and create the maintenance concept for the company. In other words, I've been able to apply the knowledge I've acquired on the job. One success for me is definitely the support from my company on my path to continuing, further training as a Head of Facility Management and Maintenance. I decided on this path right at the beginning of my continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist because I enjoyed working and exchanging ideas with the other maintenance specialists during my training. This will take me further in my career after continuing education, further training. My goal is to have my own team in five or ten years' time and be able to manage a maintenance department. With my maintenance department, I would then like to optimize maintenance wherever possible.
Do you also earn more as a maintenance specialist?
My income was adjusted after continuing education, further training and I earn more this way.
Where would you be today without the maintenance training?
Without the maintenance training, I would work as a maintenance mechanic in a maintenance department or in technical maintenance.
To whom would you recommend continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist?
I would recommend continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist to anyone who has been working in maintenance for a few years. Who are also interested in making progress in their professional life and achieving success through training in maintenance. Those who are very interested in the field of maintenance. If you are motivated and enjoy the field of maintenance, continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist is the right course for you.
Do you have another type for future training maintenance graduates?
nyone who completes maintenance training can learn a great deal about process-oriented planning. This is not applied equally well in all companies. After continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist, you look at maintenance from a different perspective - in terms of expectations, procedures or approaching people, or process-oriented maintenance, maintenance strategies and the procurement process for spare parts.
Which specialization did you choose for your continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist?
After the first half of the continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist, you can choose a specialization. You can choose between mechanical and plant engineering (MA), electrical energy (EE), building services engineering (HT), hospital, clinic, home (SKH) and real estate (IM). It's ideal if you can choose the area in which you also work as a maintenance specialist. As I specialize in plant maintenance and work at Franke Küchentechnik, particularly on plants, I decided to focus on machines and plants.
What do you particularly like about wbz Lenzburg for continuing, further training as a maintenance specialist?
I found the lecturers at wbz Lenzburg particularly good. We got on well and I'm very happy with the way they taught the material. During the coronavirus pandemic, we had a difficult time in the maintenance training program due to distance learning, which I personally don't like. However, the lecturers organized it very well. Everything worked very well.
What did the maintenance training bring you personally?
The maintenance training has taught me to pay attention to even more details. I learned a lot of new technical things about the maintenance of machines and systems. This was very interesting. During my continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist, I also learned how to deal with feedback - both when giving and receiving it. I also learned how to plan meetings during the continuing education, further training as a maintenance specialist. Or how to approach people who are not so easy to deal with and how to deal with them.
What else was special about the maintenance training at the Lenzburg training center?
At the Lenzburg continuing education, further training center we had the opportunity to take part in various excursions at the end of the maintenance specialist training. For example, we visited the Grimsel power plant during our maintenance training. I personally found this very valuable and exciting. The lecturer quizzed us on suitable topics that day in preparation for the Federal Professional Examination. We then continued this in our learning group during our continuing education, further training as maintenance specialists. In this way, we all gained an insight into our respective companies. This gave us different perspectives and broadened our horizons.
