Job vacancy: Sub-contractor Technician/Engineer

Position Summary:
The Sub-contractor Technician/Engineer plays a crucial role within our business. They are
responsible for maintaining and improving their technical skills and experience, as well as
undergoing necessary technical and health and safety training. The Technician/Engineer should hold a minimum qualification of level 3 in either Heavy Vehicle or Bus & Coach Engineering, Repair, and Maintenance.


Responsibilities

  • Carry out all work to the highest standards and report any problems or issues related to
    work, health, safety, and welfare.
  • Promote and demonstrate professionalism, good safety practices, and excellent customer
    service at all times.
  • Adhere to company and legal health and safety systems and procedures.
  • Treat fellow employees and the management team with respect and dignity.
  • Ensure that all jobs/work are completed safely and to the highest standards.

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

  • City and Guilds level 3 or equivalent qualification.
  • At least 4 years of post-apprenticeship experience.
  • Full driving licence.
  • PCV/LGV Licence (optional).
  • Health & Safety management training.

Professional Attributes

  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Strong awareness of health and safety practices.
  • Promotes and adheres to best practices.

Duties

  • Carry out all work as specified.
  • Promote and maintain good health and safety practices.
  • Report any issues or concerns to the management team.
  • Use equipment as specified and treat it with respect.
  • Work in a clean and tidy manner.
  • Always use the correct personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Maintain good levels of hygiene.
  • Drive company vehicles with respect and report any defects.
  • Read and understand all Toolbox Talks.
  • Report any skills shortages and gather relevant information related to the shortfall.

Note: The above list may be amended as the role and responsibilities of the Technician/Engineer
evolve with changes in the business.

Pay

  • ÂŁ29 per hour

For additional benefits associated with the Sub-contractor Technician/Engineer position, please
contact Jamie Tolson, Operations Director, directly by emailing jamietolson@paulclarkservices.co.uk or calling 0845 6060 474.

Technical engineering for the bus & coach industry for over 25 years

Paul Clark Services Ltd is proud of the high level of technical engineering support it’s provided the bus & coach industry for over 25 years. Skilled product trained engineers. IRTEC accredited and HV certified. Trusted and approved to deliver support to the industries finest. All engineers and work covered by warranty and carried out by insured professional engineers with equipped service vans including diagnostic software. Technical training, diagnostics & repairs, PDI’s, campaign & warranty work as well as 24/7 shift cover.

For more info as a customer or a position with us, contact info@paulclarkservices.co.uk #engineering #technicalsupportspecialist

Technician working on a bus

BigChange Chairman’s spotlight on Paul Clark, Founder & MD of Paul Clark Services

by Martin Port, founder and chairman at BigChange

Original text: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chairmans-spotlight-paul-clark-founder-md-services-martin-port/

Chairman’s spotlight on… Paul Clark, Founder & MD of Paul Clark Services

What does it take to build a successful business? It takes ambition, the ability to spot an opportunity, and the presence of mind to keep investing back into your people, product, and customer success.

When I met Paul Clark, I saw an entrepreneur who ticked all three boxes. His company, Paul Clark Services, has become the go-to partner for the UK’s biggest coach and bus companies, from Stagecoach to First Group and Arriva, maintaining and repairing these hard-wearing vehicles 364 days a year.

Last year, PCS celebrated 25 years in business – a testament to the enduring appeal and continued growth of this company.

When Paul started out, it was just him in a second-hand van. Today, PCS manages 125 engineers. “I come from a humble background and, if I’m honest, I never dreamed my company would become so successful,” he tells me. “It’s taken a lot of hard graft to get us here.”

He created the business when he was 29, after working in the industry for over a decade. “I started working on buses through an apprenticeship,” he explains. “First, I worked for a local bus and coach company. When I was 21 and had finished that apprenticeship, I started working at Thamesdown Transport, the local municipal bus company – I was their youngest skilled engineer.” 

But Paul had big dreams. He rose to become assistant engineer manager but that’s where his prospects ended – “I couldn’t go any higher because there were no more openings,” he says. “That’s when I decided to give it a go on my own. I was single and had a small mortgage. If I was ever going to give it a shot, I knew that was my chance.”

Paul spotted a gap in the market for a self-employed engineer specialising in the bus and coach industry. There was a talent shortage in this sector and, if you had the experience and were happy to travel, the work was there. “The minute I started working for myself, the phone started to ring,” he says. “There were no websites back then, just word of mouth recommendations, but I was always busy.”

When the workload became too much for one man, Paul persuaded an old colleague, Michael Kerslake, to leave Thamesdown and join him as an equal partner in PCS. The business thrived, and more engineers came on board.

Over the years, Paul has deftly adapted the business to stay relevant to the modern trading environment. Whether it was diversifying into ambulances or moving into electric and hydrogen vehicles ahead of the market, he has consistently reinvested into PCS.

One of his smartest investments, he tells me, was BigChange. “We wanted to move away from our paper scheduling system,” he says. “BigChange has transformed the business. When our schedules were ready, we used to call and text every single engineer. Now that’s all automated, which saves so much time.

“Our customers love it too. We track all the information for each job, and I’ve been told we stand out from our competitors because of the detailed reporting we offer.”

There have been tough times over the years. “The biggest challenges arise when customers have financial difficulties,” he explains. “One company owed us £50,000 and went into administration – we never saw a penny.” The pandemic also took its toll: “For 12 weeks, buses stopped running,” he says. “Our engineers are mostly self-employed, so my job was to keep the guys from starving.”

The very talent shortage that helped Paul establish PCS has also become a challenge. “We bring on one apprentice a year and pay the highest rates to tempt engineers in.”

Paul has the three entrepreneurial qualities – ambition, vision, and resilience – in spades. Now, like me, he’s thinking about legacy, and helping create new leaders within his business.

“I’m 56 now, and my son is a second-year apprentice in the workshop,” he says. “I’ve started talking to the managers here about the future – perhaps a management buyout? My ambitions have shifted and evolved. It’s all about having a healthy business for my ambitious management team.”

Welcome Alex Acosta

We are very excited to welcome Alex Acosta to Paul Clark Services Ltd as our new Business Development Manager. Previously we worked with Alex during his time with ZF UK and found him to be a fantastic young industry professional. Good luck Alex in the new role. #businessdevelopment

Welcome Alex Acosta

Apprenticeship 2023 – Bus & Coach Mechanical

PCS is looking to recruit a new apprentice to join our team of skilled engineers at our workshops in Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon. The workshop is very busy with all vehicle types with a bias towards bus and coach vehicles. The successful applicant will attend S & B Academy as part of the full apprenticeship. Excellent rates of pay with annual increments on achieving academic results/hands on experience assessments.

Desired skills:

  • Excellent communications skills
  • Health and safety awareness
  • Well organized
  • Practical approach

Personal qualities

  • Good timekeeping
  • Team worker
  • Reliable and flexible

Desired Qualifications

  • GCSE functional key skills at grade C/4 in English and Maths
  • Predicted grades are acceptable.
  • Work experience is beneficial but not essential.

Got what it takes, interested, then please contact Paul Clark, Managing Director:

  • Telephone – 0845 6060474
  • Email – info@paulclarkservices.co.uk
  • Address – Unit 1a-1c Whitehill Ind Est, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, SN47DB

Euro Bus Expo 2022 – Wow what a show!

A huge amount of thanks to all that came down to our stands and it was amazing to the organisers at The NEC, Birmingham for the EURO BUS EXPO as it’s been a great three days! It was great to see some very welcome familiar faces as well as meeting some new contacts – good to see you all!

Massive thanks to Jamie Tolson , Taylor Clark , Danny Kerwin , Mike Britten, Paul Durose , Lee Crow and especially PAUL CLARK MSOE MIRTE for their efforts