Centrica Energy says that its oil and gas engineers, whatever their discipline, have the chance to develop careers for life through early exposure to projects – both on and offshore – and opportunities to progress into senior and specialised roles.
Stuart Horne, Southern North Sea project manager based in Aberdeen is an example of a graduate who is now several rungs up the career ladder.
Originally from Barrow-In-Furness, Horne, 33, began his career with Centrica Energy in 2002 as a production support engineer in the East Irish Sea after achieving a MEng degree in chemical and process engineering from Newcastle University.
“While completing my studies I knew I wanted to work with an operator who would give me an opportunity to work across all aspects of the exploration and production industry, supporting my career development and personal ambition, and Centrica has done just that,” says Horne.
“Right from the outset I was given the opportunity to work in operational environments both onshore and offshore, and was providing technical support to colleagues across the business… a great way to build practical skills.
“With many companies, it can take quite a time for graduates to be given such extensive first-hand experience. However, at Centrica I have been able to build my skill-set through shadowing more senior engineers and securing secondment opportunities, including offshore as a production engineer and on a variety of significant projects.”
After 12 months in the East Irish Sea, Horne was seconded to operations in Aberdeen as a project engineer.
There he was responsible for coordinating the handover of a company- developed subsea tieback to a platform owned by another operator in the Southern North Sea.
On completion of his graduate placements, Horne returned to the East Irish Sea where he was responsible for managing a £10million compression plant reconfiguration project from conception through to detailed design, implementation and commissioning.
“Secondments are a great way to explore and experience different areas of the business, as well as exposure to larger oil and gas companies which we partner with,” he says.
“Being involved in a project from concept through to commissioning is really satisfying – you get a real sense of achievement seeing something built,” says Horne.
He has since played a leading role in various major projects; most recently the £200million York and £1.4billion Cygnus developments.
“I feel really lucky to have been able to work on such a variety of projects over the last decade. It may not be for everyone, and there is certainly the opportunity to specialise if you prefer, but for me the diverse opportunities and career flexibility are hugely valuable,” says Horne.
“If you are prepared to go a bit out of your comfort zone, the company will support you.
“For me, this level of professional development is one of the main reasons I am still here, 11 years after starting as a graduate.”
Horne is now Aberdeen-based, where he is currently working on Southern North Sea strategy, as well as working with the wider team as it prepares to achieve ambitious international growth targets.
“The opportunity to move back to Aberdeen and work in the Southern North Sea really appealed as it gave me the opportunity to focus on operations in an area which is less mature than the East Irish Sea, where we are developing innovative ways of exploring oil and gas in the North Sea. It’s an exciting place to be right now.”
That said, future opportunities could include working in regional offices such as Norway, the Netherlands, North America, or Trinidad and Tobago.
“But so far and I’m not ready to leave the city just yet.”
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