The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Diving into a brighter future
Five years ago, young people’s career paths looked unsettling after it was announced that thousands were in danger of being trapped in a lifetime of unemployment. Figures released in early 2014 by Scotland’s chief statistician, reported that youth unemployment – which covers 16 to 24-year-olds – had risen by 7% since 2008.
With an eye on the future, leading subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry Bibby Offshore made a bold decision to invest in its workforce and employed six ROV apprentices. With 2018 marking the end of their journey, Mike Mackie – Bibby Offshore’s ROV technical supervisor – shares his views on the scheme.
He said: “From around 200 applicants, 30 hopeful candidates were invited to participate in an interview process, which involved practical and theory tests.
“Eventually, these were whittled down to six individuals with job offers sent out to Cameron Riddel (22), Alex Tice (21), Kieran Brown (22), Edward Beattie (22), Ben Mackintosh (2z0) and Shaun McGregor (21).
“The rigorous four-year training scheme began with the apprentices spending a short time in each department of the business, learning and absorbing experience wherever they could.
“It was crucial for them to build relationships, not only with each other, but with the whole Bibby team.
“Year Two marked the start of the operational training. Bibby had secured a long-term hire of a work class ROV, which we used as a training ground.
“The apprentices stripped the ROV back, the buoyancy was removed and it was refurbished along with valve packs, thrusters, pumps and motors.
“All documentation was stored in its own specific project file, with the aim of teaching the apprentices not only the benefits of maintaining an ROV, but also the importance of documenting any work carried out.”
Reflecting on his journey, Kieran noted that this was the best part. He said: “This hands-on experience allowed me to understand how ROVs work, and fully get to know the equipment. A truly transferable skill to any job.”
Mike continued: “Year Three saw the apprentices progress from the training ROV on to Bibby’s own assets. They started visiting vessels more during maintenance periods and were heavily involved with strip downs, mobilisations and demobilisations. Most importantly, they got the chance to know our offshore crews, vessels and assets.
“Personally, I found Year Three exciting yet challenging for the apprentices. Our team of six were pushed into the unknown – completing short trips offshore and taking on more real-life responsibility.”
Edward stated that this experience was his highlight, commenting: “Going offshore allowed us to learn more about the environment in which we’d eventually be working.
“Pulling together, we were able to put the theory into practice and get a true sense of what our career could one day look like.”
Mike said: “Year Four, the final year, is when we saw the most growth from our apprentices. They became fully competent on all types of ROVs (thanks to several offshore trips on our vessels), completed an SVQ Level 3 in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, and completed their Pilot Technician Level 2 training.
“Feedback from the senior offshore supervisors and offshore project managers was excellent, with some of the apprentices carrying out training for existing offshore crews, who may not have had the same opportunities.
“The aim of the scheme was to produce future all-round Bibby ROV pilots, who are proficient in all types of ROV work; we have done exactly that.
“The industry has suffered badly over the years but we are now seeing light at the end of the tunnel and the timing of our apprentices graduating to offshore core crew couldn’t be better.”