Just outside Aberdeen is the epicentre of the UK’s subsea industry, Westhill; otherwise known as Surf City even though it’s five miles inland.
It is home to thousands of subsea jobs, not just in the North Sea but worldwide.
It is, in a way, the offshore industry’s equivalent of Cape Canaveral in the US; the nerve centre for inner space projects as far flung as West Africa, the Americas and even Asia-Pacific, not forgetting our own cold, grey, hostile offshore backyard.
This is an industry that plays at the high end, developing and operating technologies that so often push the envelope, and employs hugely talented and enthusiastic people.
According to Subsea UK – the trade body that promotes this fantastic industry – the sector is currently worth about £9billion a year and needs to hire 16,000 or so more switched-on people if it is to hit its £11billion annual target and increase the UK’s 45% share of the estimated £20billion global market for 2014.
These are telephone numbers, perhaps incomprehensible. And maybe companies like Subsea 7 and Technip seem scarily large. But they sit at the heart of an amazing success story that generates equally amazing job opportunities.
So how does anybody find out about careers, easily; especially when you’re a school student?
Subsea UK has the lifebelt. Over the past year or so, it has developed a “toolkit” to help companies grow their own talent. The “toolkit” has been developed with companies in response to real issues. Subsea Target is a truly innovative approach to recruitment and people development. What’s more, it’s very easy to navigate.
We at Young Energy really believe that Subsea UK has come up with a fun and interactive approach to attracting talent, from school leavers, through graduates, through experienced people looking for a career change.
It even provides a template for the curious to write their own CV in the current style. Here’s a quick walk through of what you can expect in the online resource.
The website
Your start point is here, at the Subsea Target website
Welcome to the settee … And the question: “How would a subsea career sit with you?
Don’t worry, it’s not technical. Skip the first paragraph and hit the Watch Video button. It’s worth the view.
OK, you’re a school student, so writing a CV because you’re hunting for a job is probably a couple or more years away. But take a look; Subsea really has tried to make it easy for anyone, by helping to remove at least some of the fear from putting pen to paper or filling in forms. The aim is to help you make the best application you can for the type of role you are interested in.
When it comes to writing your CV, one size doesn’t fit all – your CV will need to be tweaked to show how what you know and have done matches each job you are applying for. This can be as simple as rearranging the order in which you present things. Whilst you’re hardly at that stage, it really is useful to know that Subsea has such a service on its website.
But what about the jobs? What about information on the different jobs/careers in subsea? Navigate to: www.subseatarget.com/learn-more-about-the-sector. Here, you will find a terrific list of all the main job types – from highly technical, to non-technical, to classic, very hands-on, professions like deepsea diving and flying remotely operated vehicles.
They are categorised onshore and offshore. If you click on any of 29 categories it leads to a detailed sketch of each. Some examples of the categories are:
- Business Management & Support Professionals
- Construction Specialists
- Health, Safety, Environment, Quality Professionals
- Remotely Operated Vehicle Pilots & Maintenance Personnel
- Software Specialists
Using the site
For example, try clicking on Remotely Operated Vehicle Pilots & Maintenance Personnel and you get the following information and much more:
ROV Pilots are marine technicians who apply science, computer and engineering skills to the design, maintenance and use of waterborne Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in a marine offshore coastal setting.
The ROV Pilot Technician has the primary responsibility for the piloting of the ROV, maintenance and repair of the ROV system, implementation and monitoring of technical procedures and reporting, work management and execution of ROV operational tasks. They have knowledge of ROV control, navigational and propulsion systems.
Summary
Scary stuff this may be, but these are descriptions of very real and well-paid jobs. Work hard at school, do well in your exams, pursue an apprenticeship or a degree at university and the subsea world really could be your oyster.
Local school pupils built their own ROV for a recent international competition
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