What to Expect as an Access Your Future (AYF) Service Intern at RDO Equipment Co.

There are several ways to become a heavy equipment mechanic today. 

As you journey to become one, participating in an internship program while in school is a great way to supplement your education — while earning money. 

Here at RDO Equipment Co., our Access Your Future (AYF) Service program has helped hundreds of technicians throughout the U.S. kickstart successful careers. 

Through this program, technicians gain hands-on experience in a heavy equipment dealership setting, learning from talented technicians in a program designed to help them grow. 

To help you decide whether becoming an AYF Service Intern would align with your career goals, let’s discuss what to expect as an AYF intern at RDO.

What is RDO’s Access Your Future Service Program? 

Working on heavy equipment is challenging. These machines are highly complex and are only getting more advanced. 

That’s why becoming a well-rounded service technician takes a combination of classroom learning and real-world experiences. 

Whether you’re pursuing an associate’s, bachelor's or technical degree in equipment technology, the AYF Service Program is designed to complement what you’re doing in school.

Typically lasting one to two years, our AYF Service Internships give students the opportunity to experience work as a heavy equipment service technician and build the skills for full-time employment in this field. 

What Will You Do as an AYF Service Intern?

The AYF Service Internship program is designed to give participants the learning opportunities and experiences necessary to make them successful, productive technicians. 

As an AYF intern, you will: 

• Spend time shadowing all dealership departments to learn how it functions:
  • Parts
  • Sales
  • Service
  • Administrators
• Work alongside mentors throughout the organization

• Do RDO safety training
• Attend department meetings and one-on-ones with your manager
• Learn how to work as a service technician in a dealership: 
  • Work order process
  • How to perform job safety assessments
  • How to organize and manage a workstation
  • How to source parts
  • Where to find specialty tools
• Perform equipment inspections
  • Working on diesel engines and electrical, hydraulic, heating/cooling, fuel and braking systems.Participate in in-house and manufacturer training (both in-person and online)

• Participate in in-house and manufacturer training (both in-person and online)
  

Although it varies, AYF Service Interns often work up to 30 hours per week in the program. If they're out of school, they may even work 40 hours. Most of this time will be spent working on machines with your mentor(s). 

What Could a Day Look Like as an AYF Service Intern?

One of the cool things about the AYF Service Program — and a career as a technician, for that matter — is that most days are different. It never gets boring as an intern at RDO. 

There is so much to learn that each of your days could be completely different in this program. 

Here’s an example work week as an AYF Service Intern:

Monday:

• Check-in with your manager
• Join the service team meeting
• Work on a John Deere bulldozer alongside a mentor in the customer service shop
• Help clean up the workstation

Tuesday:

• Attend department safety meeting
• Help with a pre-delivery inspection
• Shadow another technician in the afternoon

Wednesday:

• Shadow the store parts department 

• Filling orders

• Inventorying parts

• Stocking parts

• Assisting customers

Thursday: 

• Shadow an equipment coordinator

• Learning how machinery flows through the yard

• Learning how deliveries are received

• Learning how to move safely in the yard

• Learning how to operate machinery

Friday: 

• Work in the customer shop assisting with diagnostics on a couple of machines
• Head over to the rental shop to help with a repair on a piece of rental equipment

You’ll be asked to do progressively more independent work throughout your internship. Motivated interns can even complete a training capstone program and earn a manufacturer certification.

Can You Be Hired Full Time? 

The AYF Internship aims to set you up for a successful career as a heavy equipment service technician. When the internship wraps up, and it makes sense, it’s not uncommon for former interns to join RDO as full-time technicians — either as a Service Technician Apprentice or Service Technician - Level 1. 

Hear from Julia, a former service intern in Chandler, AZ.

Tips for a Successful AYF Internship

The good thing about starting as an intern at RDO is that you’ll be starting on the same footing as everyone else. Most new AYF interns don’t have professional diesel mechanic experience. 

If you come in and apply yourself, you can get ahead.

Often, the successful people in this internship come into it with the right attitude, wanting to learn and build their skills. 

Apply yourself, ask questions, work hard and start building relationships with your colleagues; the rest will take care of itself.

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Join AYF Service Program: Your Next Step

The AYF service internship program at RDO is a great fit for people of various backgrounds. As you work on building your service technician career, you might be considering whether this is the right next step for you. 

Learn more about the AYF Internship Program and take the next step here.

If you have any questions about this program and want more information, contact our careers team. 

Finally, to help you build a great career as a heavy equipment technician, we have a monthly email newsletter. 

Join the Service Technician Toolbox Monthly email series.