Hydraulic technicians are responsible for servicing and repairing hydraulic motors of deck and subsea equipment such as winches, hydraulic units or spoolers. 

The Work

You could be: 

• attending a toolbox talk to find out what your jobs are for that day 
• inspecting a motor to see where the problems are, such as testing for leakages  
• draining the oil from winch engines, stripping them down and changing all the seals 
• adding hoses and pipes to a motor, making sure it is powered and everything running correctly 
• reading and interpreting diagrams or engineering drawings to assemble equipment 
• putting a winch engine back together, cleaning it and preparing for it to get painted 
• helping a team of fitters work on fitting parts to an engine 
• building or testing new equipment 
• keeping the work area clean and tidy, according to the health and safety regulations. 

Pay

The apprentice rate, for those aged under 19 or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship, is £6.40 an hour (1 April 2024).  

Starting salaries for qualified hydraulic service technicians are normally around £20,000 to £25,000 a year. With experience this could rise to around £35,000 a year or more. 

Conditions

• You will be based mostly in a workshop, where conditions can be noisy and messy. 
• You would normally wear overalls and perhaps also safety glasses, protective headgear and footwear. 
• You may have to work shifts, do overtime and be on call outside normal working hours. 

Useful Subjects

• Applications of Mathematics
• Engineering (SCQF Level 6) (FA)
• Engineering Science
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Practical Electronics
• Practical Metalworking
• SfW Engineering Skills

Getting In

• You normally enter through a Modern Apprenticeship in engineering. For entry you would need 3 subjects at National 4 or 5, usually including English, Maths and a science or technological subject. 
• You could complete the Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship (FA), while in S5 or S6 at school. Entry requirements vary between colleges, but you usually need 3 subjects at National 5 including English and Maths. Some colleges also ask for Physics. This would give you entry to the Modern Apprenticeship.
• You will have to take an aptitude test. 
• Or you could first take a qualification in mechanical engineering or a similar subject. Relevant courses include NC, NQ (SCQF Levels 4-6), HNC (SCQF Level 7) or HND (SCQF Level 8). For entry to an NC or NQ course you need some subjects at National 5. For an HNC or HND course you need 1-3 Highers. 
• You should normally have English, Maths and at least one science or technological subject at National 5 or Higher.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland

2024

6102

1.6 %

RISE

2029

6199

  United Kingdom

2024

76614

2.8 %

RISE

2029

78788

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What Does it Take?

You need to have: 

• good technical and practical skills 
• an accurate, methodical and systematic approach 
• good communication skills 
• an awareness of health and safety issues. 

You need to be able to: 

• understand technical drawings 
• pay attention to detail 
• use your initiative to solve problems 
• plan your work to meet agreed deadlines 
• work alone as well as part of a team.  

Training

• A Modern Apprenticeship combines on the job and off the job training and leads to an SVQ such as Performing Engineering Operations at SCQF Level 6. 
• If you do a college course first, you will then take a job with an employer and continue with further training to gain SVQs. 
• You must be willing to keep up to date with new advances in technology. 

Getting On

• With experience, you may be promoted to supervisor level. 
• You might move into management later. 
• You could find work abroad with other offshore servicing companies. 

More Information

You can find out more about energy careers at the My Energy Futures website.

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.