At a glance
- Soldier
- engineering
Whatever we’re building, you’ll do the groundwork in a bulldozer or digger. You’ll make all kinds of projects possible and gain skills for life.
You work as part of a project team at Army sites all over the world. You’re trained to use all kinds of plant machinery, such as diggers and bulldozers for earth-moving, excavation and other tasks. Airports, bases, harbours – you never know what you'll be working on next – and you'll be trained to work on civilian sites too. Along with trade skills, you'll get driving licences for a range of vehicles. It's the start of an exciting career that comes with sports, activities and the unbeatable feeling of being part of close-knit team.
Plant Operator Mechanic is a Trade role in the Royal Engineers. All the Royal Engineer soldier job roles are divided into 5 groups. When you apply to the Engineers, you will apply to the trade group rather than the specific trade.
The Corps of Royal Engineers allows the Army to work all over the world, whether it's involved in active combat or disaster relief. The Corps are ‘first in’, setting up bases ready for the rest of the Army to arrive and ‘last out’, closing down patrol bases and military camps. The Corps is at the forefront in disaster-relief operations, effecting rapid repairs to damaged infrastructure in stricken areas.
Key Responsibilities
Get trained as a mechanic for servicing and fault finding
Learn to operate different pieces of plant equipment
Be trained on all civilian construction uses of plant
Become fully trained on the use of plant within the military role
Have any questions? Talk with us
Reserve (part time)
Entry requirements
Age:
From 17 years & 9 months to 42 years & 6 months
Qualifications:
GCSE Grade A–D/9-3, or Scottish National 5 grade A-D, in Maths, English Language and one other subject.
Basic physical fitness assessment:
Mid Thigh Pull 50kg
Medicine Ball Throw 3m
MSFT (beep test) level 7.5
Army Reserve standards
Mid Thigh Pull: 50kg
Medicine Ball Throw: 2m 70cm
MSFT (beep test): Level 5 shuttle 8
Training for the role
Step 1
Basic Training consists of two main courses and some online training packages. You can book on the courses to fit around your daily life, so it could take you several months to finish your basic training.
Module 1: Foundation Training. 5 alternate residential weekends Fri - Sun at an Army training centre OR a nine-day residential course.
Module 2: Battlecamp. 15-day residential course at an Army training establishment. You will learn fieldcraft, Skill at Arms, fitness training, qualities of a soldier, military knowledge, Battlefield casualty drills, individual health and education. This will culminate with a Passing Off Parade which your family and friends can attend to celebrate your success.
Step 2
Then it’s a two-week course to learn field engineering skills. Then over two weeks at Chatham, Kent, you’re trained to use the light-wheeled tractor and medium-wheeled tractor. After a year or so you will come back to Chatham to learn how to use other big construction vehicles. Most Reserve training will fit around your day job.
Qualifications you could get after training
Driving Licences – B, C, C+E, D, H
Pay & benefits
You'll get paid a day rate according to your rank, starting from £63.27 in training and once you're a Private and increase as you rise through the ranks. This includes being paid for weekly drill nights. Plus, if you complete all of your annual training, you're entitled to a tax-free lump sum called a bounty.
How to Apply
When you decide to apply, your local unit will help you through the process - you don't need to wait until you've finished Army Assessment to get involved.
To join, you have to apply online. The application process will take some time, but you can also ring the unit you're interested in joining - the team there will help often invite you to join them for drill nights, and you'll get support for your application.