Lessons From the Workshop Floor: What 21 Years of Training Has Taught Us

When you’ve been training people for over two decades, you get to see the patterns – the good, the bad, and the “oh mate, don’t ever do that again.”

At APT, we’ve made our fair share of mistakes (ask us about the oil spill). We’ve taught thousands of students, worked with some of the biggest mining and construction companies in Australia, and helped everyone from apprentices to engineers lift their game.

But if there’s one thing we know for sure?

You never stop learning.

Here are the biggest lessons we’ve learned along the way – the ones that stuck, and the ones we wish we’d known from day one.

1. Simple is Smarter

Whether you’re designing a hydraulic system or trying to explain how one works to your sparkie, complexity isn’t clever – clarity is.

Over the years, we’ve seen engineers over-engineer systems to the point where they become impossible to troubleshoot. We’ve seen techs get caught out because they were chasing phantom faults in overly complicated setups.

Keep it simple.
 Use what you need – no more, no less. That goes for schematics, training, design, and troubleshooting.

It’s not about being fancy. It’s about being clear.

2. Slow Down to Speed Up

We’ve said it before: we once dumped 400L of oil all over someone else’s workshop floor because we didn’t stop to check a return line.

We rushed. We didn’t walk through the schematic. We didn’t take five minutes to validate the setup.

In the field, there’s always pressure. “Get it done yesterday.” But the cost of rushing is nearly always higher than the cost of five minutes of proper planning.

Lesson?
 Grab the schematic. Mark it up. Talk it through. Make sure everyone’s on the same page – especially before you touch the tools.

3. Confidence Comes From Understanding, Not Just Experience

We’ve met so many tradies over the years – smart, sharp operators who’ve fixed hundreds of machines… but still don’t feel confident unless they’ve seen the exact fault before.

That’s normal. But it’s also solvable.

True confidence comes from understanding how and why things work – not just repeating what worked last time.

That’s why our training doesn’t just tell you what to do – we show you why it matters. So next time the fault looks different, you’re not guessing – you’re troubleshooting with purpose.

4. The Schematic is Your Superpower

If there’s one thing we’d shout from the rooftops to every fitter, field tech and apprentice:
 Look at the schematic.
 Even if you don’t fully get it – start. One valve at a time. One loop at a time.

It’s the single most important tool in understanding hydraulic systems – and the least used.

We tell our students: every time you see one, take 5 minutes.
 Ask:

• What’s this section doing?
• What changes when the valve shifts?
• What happens if pressure builds here?

That habit? It’s a game-changer. One minute at a time.

5. The Best Training is the Kind You Can Use Tomorrow

Theory’s great – but if you can’t use it on Monday morning when the boss wants the loader back up and running, what’s the point?

That’s why we build everything we teach around practical, site-based application. Custom kits, real systems, real faults. Because learning isn’t about ticking a box. It’s about being better at your job – today.

6. Mistakes Are Where the Learning Lives

Some of our biggest breakthroughs – in our business and in our training – came off the back of things going wrong.

• The wrong pump ordered? Led to building our first prac kit.
• The overheating crane on the Machiavelli? Solved a five-year mystery and changed how we approach diagnostics.
• The oil spill? Gave us a lifelong reminder of what not to do in someone else’s shed.

Bottom line: If you’ve made mistakes, good. That means you’re learning. The trick is not repeating them – and helping the next person avoid them too.

7. Stay Curious, Stay Sharp

We’re in a trade that hasn’t changed much in 100 years – and yet it’s changing every year.

The fundamentals of fluid power are solid. But the systems around them – electronics, PLCs, sensors, control logic – are evolving fast. And if you’re not learning, you’re falling behind.

The best tradies we know aren’t the ones who know everything. They’re the ones who ask questions, stay open, and always want to get better.

Real Talk for the Tom Reading This

If you’ve ever felt like:

• You’re winging it a bit with design or fault-finding
• You’re good with the tools but not confident explaining why a system works
• You’re “just a tradie” and not sure how to move forward

… we’ve been there. And that’s exactly why APT exists.

To help you build that confidence. Fill the gaps. And give you the tools – mental and physical – to step up, whether you’re working on site or leading a crew.

Final Thought

You don’t need to know everything. But you do need to know how to keep learning.

And if we can save you a few mistakes – maybe even a few hundred litres of oil – then we’re doing our job.