ABOUT
THE REPAIR SPECIALIST

Hi, I'm Craig. My mission is to take subjects that can seem quite daunting and somewhat difficult to understand and explain them in such a way that everyone can understand and benefit.

All too often things are explained to us in a way that is difficult to grasp. I really hope that all of my tutorials are understandable by most, if not all, people who wish to view them.

A little about me then...

In 1988 (at the age of 13), I was given the opportunity to gain some work experience at the company my father worked as a Construction Plant machinery Repair Engineer.  This was during my school holidays, and in those days I'm not sure if I loved it or hated it, but here I was.  This work experience continued throughout the rest of my school life and after leaving school in 1991 at the age of 16, I walked into the job as an apprentice at this company.  I was very fortunate indeed because I didn't leave school with any good grades at all. The manager of the company said he would give me a chance based on my trustworthy performance during my work experience.  He also insisted but that I needed to take studying seriously because as part of my apprenticeship I would need to attend college.  

​

So despite me not having a very good academic track record at the time, I was still given a chance by the late Mr Nadin (to whom I had a great deal of respect).  A few years later, still during Mr Nadin's managerial reign, I achieved a Miller Award for 'apprentice of the year 1994' at the college I attended.  He was so pleased that he gave me an extra weeks wages that day. 

In 1995, when my 4 year college/workshop combined program ended, I finally became a qualified repair engineer.  After serving my final 5th year (appreciation year) to the company for their investment in me, I decided to move on to work on small engines.  So in 1996 I landed the job of Horticultural engineer at a different company, where I learned a whole new dimension of repair work and customer satisfaction.  I enjoyed this much more than the large machines I started with so I carried on down this path.  I learned a lot from my time as a horticultural engineer thanks to the knowledgeable people I worked alongside.

​

In 1999, however, I decided go back to college and correct what I should have achieved at school.  I retook my GCSE level qualifications (in Maths, English, and IT) and A level qualifications in Science.  When I graduated for these one year later, I decided to carry on to University where I studied in the faculty of Science and Engineering.  I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in 2003 and some time later I took a postgraduate course and achieved a PgC.  Throughout this time I was working on small engines to supplement my income whilst studying.

I met my incredible future wife during my studies. Fast forward five years and two pieces of finger gold, two loud babies, and a very spares bank balance seemed to appear all of a sudden with no warning.  All I can say now is "my days of quietness and boredom were completely over". Joking aside, my wife and two amazing children are my world.

​

So to sum things up then, I have been gaining experience in the repair engineers field since 1988 (33 years, as of 2021).  So I feel I have quite a lot of knowledge to pass on to you.

I want to help people understand, and learn, this field as I was helped by the fantastic mentors during my years as a University student, in Science, and a trainee apprentice as an engineer.

In fact, I could NOT have became a qualified repair engineer or a Science graduate (followed by a post graduate) if I never had these wonderful people in my life. Sadly, some of them are no longer with us to see these videos, which I really want to dedicate to them. More than anyone else, I want to dedicate this website and the videos to my amazing late mother, who nurtured, cared, loved and motivated me all of my life. When I was down she would always reach down and stand me back up again, telling me I was worth something.

​

I only wish I could thank her in person and show her these videos. I realise now that she was my biggest and most amazing mentor.

There's no bond greater than mother and son.

Thank you for 40 Golden years mum!