Lift truck and powered access engineering technician

Key information

  1. Status: Approved for delivery (available for starts)
  2. Reference: ST0387
  3. Version: 1.1
  4. Level: 3
  5. Typical duration to gateway: 36 months
  6. Typical EPA period: 4 months
  7. Route: Engineering and manufacturing
  8. Maximum funding: £16000
  9. Date updated: 24/03/2023
  10. Approved for delivery: 10 July 2020
  11. Lars code: 579
  12. EQA provider: Ofqual
  13. Review: this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.
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Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

Lift truck and powered access engineering technicians can be found in many sectors, where businesses need to lift and move products, equipment and people safely. This is vital to a huge range of industries including: engineering, manufacturing, construction, food manufacturing and the storage and logistics industries.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to service, repair and maintain lift trucks and powered access vehicles and equipment. This can include manual, electric, diesel, LPG, and hybrid powered machines both tracked and wheeled, vertical mast type machines both static and self-propelled. It can also include equipment mounted on vehicles, such as: forklift, scissor lift, vertical mast, articulated and telescopic boom, elevated work platform machines both static and self-propelled. There are also lift truck and powered access machines specially designed to meet specific applications.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a range of different people, some of these may include supervisors, warehouse staff, colleagues and customers. The lift trucks can be situated in a range of locations such as at a workshop, repair centres, warehouse, foundry, cold-store, manufacturing plant, engineering works, construction site, storage and logistics site, or any field service environment including a customer's premises. Some lift truck and powered access engineering technicians work from their own mobile units. Many companies require staff to work shifts, which can mean that their weekly hours involve working nights, weekends, and bank holidays.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for inspecting and maintaining vehicles and equipment as well as diagnosing and repairing faults. They can be in direct contact with customers and are required to understand and meet customer requirements, providing a high standard of customer care whilst complying with safety and environmental regulations. 

 

Typical job titles include:

Forklift engineer Forklift technician Powered access equipment engineer Powered access equipment technician

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

Duty 1 Repair or replace faulty electrical or electronic, mechanical, and hydraulic parts.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 2 Carry out scheduled servicing and safety checks on all vehicle or unit applications where applicable.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 3 Carry out pre-delivery inspections, test and make any final adjustments in accordance with manufacturers recommendations, identify problems, or fine-tune performance, using a laptop or hand-held diagnostic equipment.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 4 Maintain, diagnose, and repair internal combustion engines, engine management systems and fuel systems such as liquid petroleum, gas (LPG) and diesel fuel injection.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 5 Maintain, repair, and diagnose drive trains including hydrostatic transmissions, final drive units and AC/DC drive motors, drive controllers and battery systems.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 6 Maintain, adjust, and repair complex mast or boom configurations including lift chains, in accordance with manufacturers recommendations and relevant legislation.

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5

Duty 7 Complete all paperwork (hard copy or electronic) with the relevant and required information and within the specified timescale using all support including IT as necessary. This may include clear identification of part numbers, order numbers, times and dates, recommended further action and customer commentary.

K1 K3 K6 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K17

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 8 Maintain stock levels to maximise efficiency and communicate additional requirements in a clear manner to the staff responsible for ordering parts.

K1 K11 K12 K13 K16 K17

S11 S14 S16

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 9 Ensure health and safety policy and procedures are adhered to.

K1 K2 K3 K6 K9 K12 K13 K14 K17

S1 S3 S4 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14 S16

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 10 Keep manager updated with progress and notify them of potential problems with customers and their future requirements in a timely manner, using appropriate methods such as email and telephone.

K1 K9 K10 K12 K17 K18

S1 S3 S8 S9 S10 S12 S13 S14 S15

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 11 Keep the customer and colleagues informed about the progress of the service or repair and any follow-up work required.

K1 K9 K10 K12 K17 K18

S10 S12 S14 S15

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Duty 12 Ensure equipment and uniform are clean and in good order, reflecting company image.

K1 K2 K12 K13

S1 S3 S13 S14 S16

B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Awareness of health and safety regulations, relevance to the occupation and the technician's responsibilities. Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Risk assessments. Safe systems of work. Manual handling. Types of hazards. Near miss reporting. Due diligence. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Situational awareness. Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER). Electrical safety and compliance. Noise regulations. Work at height regulations. Back to Duty

K2: Tools and equipment used within the lift truck and powered access profession and their safe operation. Back to Duty

K3: Materials, joining methods and fabrication techniques. Back to Duty

K4: Principles of electrical, electronic and hydraulic circuits and components. Back to Duty

K5: Construction and operation of lift truck and powered access machine systems: powertrain, steering, braking, lifting gear, mechanical, electrical or electronic and hydraulics. Back to Duty

K6: Maintenance practices and techniques: planned and preventative, and reactive methods and their frequency. Inspection techniques and the importance of safety inspections to meet legal obligations. Back to Duty

K7: Diagnostic principles and problem-solving techniques for fault-finding: manufacturer's process flows, guided fault finding and functional testing. Back to Duty

K8: Lift truck and powered access on-board diagnostics. Back to Duty

K9: Manufacturers’ specifications and customers’ requirements and the process to access, interpret and apply the information gained from them. Back to Duty

K10: Verbal communication techniques. Giving and receiving information. Matching style to audience. Barriers in communication and how to overcome them. Engineering terminology. Back to Duty

K11: Stock requirements. Control systems. Stock rotation. Stock considerations: availability, stock lead times, stock value, faulty stock, salvageability of parts removed. Back to Duty

K12: Quality management standards. Quality assurance principles and practice. Record keeping. Back to Duty

K13: Environmental and sustainability regulations and guidance. Environmental hazards that can arise from lift truck and powered access operations. Types of pollution and control measures: noise, smells, spills, and waste. Hazardous waste regulations. Back to Duty

K14: The correct selection and use of hand tools. Back to Duty

K15: Lift truck and powered access communication systems. Telematics. Back to Duty

K16: Warranties: what they are and impact on lift and powered access machines. Back to Duty

K17: Written communication techniques. Plain English principles. Engineering terminology. Back to Duty

K18: Equality Act. Equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Unconscious bias. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work in compliance with regulations and standards relevant to lift truck or powered access machines. Back to Duty

S2: Obtain and interpret lift truck and powered access machine technical data and repair instructions. Back to Duty

S3: Use tools, workshop equipment, diagnostic and measuring equipment when carrying out maintenance and repairs. Back to Duty

S4: Perform preventative maintenance activities on lift truck and powered access machines. Back to Duty

S5: Perform inspections on lift truck and powered access machines in compliance with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) regulations. Back to Duty

S6: Remove and replace mechanical, electrical and hydraulic components. Back to Duty

S7: Apply diagnostic principles and problem-solving techniques to diagnose faults on lift truck or powered access machine systems. Back to Duty

S8: Carry out functional testing and quality checks on repaired lift truck or powered access machine components and systems. Back to Duty

S9: Carry out repairs and make required adjustments. Back to Duty

S10: Record or enter information - paper based or electronic. For example, job sheets, risk assessments, equipment service records, test results, handover documents and manufacturers' documentation, work sheets, checklists. Back to Duty

S11: Check and maintain stock. Back to Duty

S12: Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders. Back to Duty

S13: Prepare and maintain a clean, tidy and safe working area. Back to Duty

S14: Identify, organise and use resources to complete tasks, in compliance with quality, safety, sustainability and environmental standards and guidance. Back to Duty

S15: Follow equality, diversity and inclusion procedures. Back to Duty

S16: Store and maintain tools, workshop equipment, diagnostic and measuring equipment for maintenance and repairs. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Put health and safety first. Back to Duty

B2: Take responsibility for the quality of work. Back to Duty

B3: Committed to continued professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance competence in their own area of practice. Back to Duty

B4: Respond and adapt to work demands and situations. Back to Duty

B5: Apply a professional approach. Back to Duty

B6: Take account of diversity and inclusion requirements. Back to Duty

Qualifications

English and Maths

English and maths qualifications must be completed in line with the apprenticeship funding rules.

Professional recognition

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

  • Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) for Engineering Technician
  • Institute of the Motor Industry for Associate Member
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Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date
1.1 Standard, end-point assessment plan and funding have been revised. 07/04/2023 Not set
1.0 Approved for delivery 10/07/2020 06/04/2023
Employers involved in creating the standard: Crown Lift Trucks Ltd, Toyota MHE UK, Linde, Jungheinrich, Acclaim Handling, IPAF

Crown copyright © 2025. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

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