Agricultural Engineering (Level 2) – Autumn Term ‘2026
3rd September, 2026 – Induction Day
This was a whole day at college, and a whole day of anxiety. After years of being away from any form of institute, I was thrust into the deep end, for which came at a price to my mental health. I wouldn’t say that I was stopped in my tracks at a given time, but I contemplated not attending, quietly sitting in the corner and re-evaluating my options. But no, I made the whole day and realised that I am still a champion at looking okay to all others that interact with me.
The day was about ‘induction.’ We looked around the college through the use of augmented reallity, tidied the workshop and looked over the computer systems that we will be using for out course-work. At the end of the day, we were given out uniforms, so at least I will look tidy.
7th September ‘2026 – Week One
The first day, well, afternoon at college, and this was a classroom-based pair of sessions. It was all about getting into the swing of things. This included getting onto the college’s network, getting used to who my peers were, and most of all, answering the register at 48 years old!
We began our health and safety modules, on the Thursday, which then led into the Friday Workshop day. We began our time in the tool-shed, making a map of the building’s interior. This included the welding room, all sockets and switches, and each tool that was fixed around the outside.
The final part of the day was an afternoon of creating a interior-panel-puller. It began with a small pieced of 150mm x 40mm flat, mild-steel. I was then introduced to the use of Engineer’s Blue (actually, it is Marking Blue,) a liquid that is brushed onto the metal and when dry, it can be scored to created cutting lines that you measure out. I have a recollection of this studd, but don’t know when I would have used it. I made a poor cut on the first try, but had another go…which was still wonky! I think I need to up my hacksawing skills. It was a good first week, but tiring!
14th September ‘2026 – Week Two
Even more health and safety to start this week off. We managed to cover medical emergencies, but lost time and had to go onto out Monday afternoon tutorial. It was a bit politcal for me, but was getting onto the PREVENT ideas that look at radicalisation and becoming, or thinking of becoming terrorists. It was a hard slog, but can easily be understood as being needed in the modern age.
After a Thursday afternoon of more Health and Safety, we did pop down to look at the workshop’s jacks and stands. This was all about the reasoning behind correct equipment and a focus on what is used, and why. Friday was another day in the workshop. We completed the handles on the tool that we bagan, last week. A few of us finished, though I have to say that mine is a bit rough…but serviceable. Once the afternoon came around, we closed it off and cleaned up our mess; it was then time to have a drive of the tractors.
This involved us being in pairs, with a loop around the practise track, forwards, then swapping over. By the end of the day, we had also done the same loop, in reverse! It was fun, with the rumble of a diesel engine popping through my ear-holes. Quite a week, to say the least.
21st September ‘2026 – Week Three
We finally completed the Powerpoint presentation for our Health and Safety module. There was 99 slides on it, so it has taken a few sessions. Tutorial was all about online safety, something of which I have needed to teach, in the past. It’s quite strange being on the other side of the table!
On the Thursday afternoon, it was much the same, but we did do a Health and Safety mock-test. Out of twenty-five, I had looked at these, a few nights prior. Like always, my brain over-thinks the questions and can see more than one answer in any given one. I ended up with 19/25. This was considered a pass, needing 17 to make that grade. I guess this was better than nothing, and I now have the information to correct the ones I got wrong. The real test is later in the Autumn term. We closed of the afternoon with some tool naming. This included types of spanners and basic hand-tools, such as ratchets.
Wrokshop Friday was about completing the tools and using taps. As I was one that had already finished, I set about drilling four holes into a scrap of mild steel. I then used a tap, that would make a thread in the hole walls. This was quite hard to do, but they were all threaded in no time. Beyond this, I used a bolt and loosened the thread up, which came easily. It was then time to strip the thread…on purpose! It felt weird doing this, frankly, it was really odd! We then had to remove the stripped bolt. After doing all four of the holes, we moved onto jacking up 3-tonne tractors, and removing their front wheels. This was my first time with the glorious 10-tonne Sealey jack!
28th September ‘2026 – Week Four
Monday was all about starting the Math tasks that the college took three weeks to get onto our logins. As a 19+ student, I don’t have to do the Literacy and Maths lessons, but they couldn’t decide if we needed to do the functional Mathematics, or not. So, I began to do so some of the problems. I was quite rusty, as to be expected, and made errors due to not readin the question, properly. I spent years telling kids to read it twice, and here I was no praticing what I had preached! The tutorial was all about our futures. Like much of the materials, they are very aimed to the teenager, so this does feel a bit disconnected…it is much to be expected, though.
Thursday’s session was just a couple of mock-tests. These are helping to bring us up to the standard for the tests that will come up throughout the year. There was very little beyond that, but we did work together to create a list of different fastenings. The core focus of the tests was tool naming, a job card, and a risk assessment. It was as exciting as you might imagine!
Friday’s workshop day was quite eventful. We were tasked with taking apart engines. Not in their entirety, but certain bits. I began with a chainsaw body. This was pulled apart, with the hardest part being the plastic casing. This was quite a chore! Once off, I could remove parts and observe their fitment. After time, I put it all back together, ready for my second task. This involved pulling the fuel filters, the pipelines, and the manifolds off the engine of a New Holland tractor. This was a good task, where we worked together, took pictures of the parts, so we knew where they would go, and got out hands on the real stuff. The final part of the day was all about getting an old council mower back to life. It had a reasonable battery, but we needed to jump it, break the ignition, as the key was missing, then get her started. There were many switches that needed to be engaged to bypass the safety aspects. These were an isolator under the seat, the lever in park and the operator on the seat. It worked, even though it was leaking hydraulic oil and one of the rear tyres was coming off. What fun!
5th October ‘2026 – Week Five
Well, Monday was just a pointless, waste of time. The afternoon consisted of forty minutes of a basic ‘engine’ PowerPoint. Besides the basics of the engines outside…and inside…we just did our math tasks. I ended the afternoon by feeling disappointed, with Vyvyan’s fuel and time being used up. This was a shame.
The Thursday was pretty much the same thing, with more about engines, and more Century mathematics, to do. There was a little more structure to it, though, using a quiz system to help drive the knowledge.
Friday workshop was a long and involved day. The morning saw us in pairs, taking a GX Honda engine, apart. We then put it back together. This was done twice, as we needed to then use a torque wrench to button up the crankcase and head. The afternoon was more physical, working on pressure testing the water system and oil of the small Ford tractor. The end of the day, we looked at seeing what machines, from the back, might start. A few of use tried the small, red, quad-bike. It had power, but would not start. It appeared to have no fuel moving, even though the tank had plenty. We ran out of time to investigate further.
12th October ‘2026 – Week Six
We plowed through more of the engine module, today. The main aim was to learn about valves and their attributes. Much of it was from diagrams and we looked at an AI animation of the inside of an operational engine. The rest was all about Century. By the time 4pm came around, I’d had enough of the math!
Thursday’s offering was about ancillaries, more particularly, about cooling and lubrication systems. There was the usual discussion, with a side order of questions, and then a digital quiz to try out. This was a learning experience, for me, as I knew that the coolant needed to pass through the system, but not to the extent that I had learned. Of the two quizzes, that we did, I got an 80% and a 100%! Sounds great, until you learn the amount of times I retried them!
Friday Workshop time began with the quad-bike, once again. Three of us managed to get it started, this week, finding that the shut-off valve was hidden, and the fuel bowl was dirty. In the end, this was little progress, for a whole morning of ‘mechanical learning.’ The last part of the day was the most productive, finding that we were running before we could walk! There is too much emphasis on tasks that are above our level. I hope that they will settle it down. Aside from this, we drove tractors, back-and-forth, learning to hook-up trailers. The system has quirks, and they took time to work out. It’s hard to explain, but it cam down to the levers being in certain spots, to make the hitch drop on the rear-linkage. Another week done; it’s going so fast. I have managed to find some experience to do, back at the riding stables, near Burntwood. This is good, as it was stressing me out. Let’s jsut hope the college staff in charge of this, get to helping me, as soon as!
17th October ‘2026 – Week Seven
Monday was more of the engine study, looking at diesel fuel rails. We learned how the system performs its task, moving the fuel from the tank, through the filter and into the high-pressure pump. The galeries are then used to take fuel to the injectors, where the liquid is atomised for combustion. It all sounds quite complicated, but it isn’t too bad. There are a few more steps, but this was quite the learning, for me. I knew about the rail, what it does, but not the process, and ancilliary order, it takes. A few more quizes, and Bob’s your uncle!
There was no Thursday session, as the staff were on training.
So we are left with the Friday Workshop Day. Dues to illness, I was only in until 10:45. I say illness, it was a mixture of flu and feeling wound up. My anxiety is not doing well, at the moment, but I must learn coping strategies, for the coming months. I accept that I am a fish-out-of-water, but I must, at least, try. The session I was a part of, saw me paired up with Stephan, where we worked to get a Stihl brush-cutter, working. We did find that the air filter was dirty, but the core issue was the spark plug. The gap had been shrunk to zero. There was no chance of a spark! We got it working, and that was that. After an issue with a ‘jobs-worth,’ I decided it was time to go home! I did get me a squidgy cow, from Jamie, before I left! And so, the half-term break, begins.
NOTE: If you are suffering with mental health, that includes Anxiety, please talk to somebody. We are all different, but I do know that releasing the burden, can make the day, that little bit better. Stay safe.
2nd November ‘2026 – Week Eight
The first lesson of the new term was a pointless one. We spent two hours talking about assessment, the awarding body, and the college’s standards. We then did a tutorial on ‘consent.’ This backs up my notion that there is little, to no, place for adult learners. It is something that I will have to address, sooner, rather than later.
