Qualifications opinions please

[Craig]

Hi all. Been browsing the site for ages but first post so be gentle with me 🙂 I’d like your opinions please, especially if you’ve just managed to get yourself into the ROV industry, and yes I have already used the search function but would like more info. I’m leaving the RAF after 12 years as an Avionics techie with the following qualifictions:
City & Guilds Foundry engineering, Comms cabling (copper & fibre), Electrical servicing; ONC Electroncs; HNC Aerospace engineering and just now finishing off HND Telecomms.
I’d like to spend most of next year getting another qualification (I can afford to be unemployed for a good 12 months) and i’ve got £4000 of MOD funding to use plus another £1K of my own. I could either do an ROV course at MTCS and use the rest to do a H&S course or something, or use the whole lot to do another HNC, but cant afford to do both. Dont want to do a Degree because i’m fairly certain the maths is beyond my abilities. I dont know what would be viewed more favourably in the ROV industry.
So based on your own experiences, if you were in my position, what would you do? Many thanks guys.

[Ray Shields]

How about an NVQ/SVQ in Hydraulics?

You have more than enough qualifications on the electrical side. Personally I would not waste valuable resources on Offshore survival, medical or health and safety courses. If you get a job you will be given all of those anyway, in my experience companies do not take these into account when choosing people as anyone they take on will be given them anyway.

For ROVs electrical, electronic and hydraulics are the fields you will need to know about, hence why I would suggest some hydraulic qualifications. You will not be designing circuits (electrical or hydraulic) so Degrees etc. do not count as much as more "practical" qualifications. You need to be able to maintain, identify faults and rectify. Practical experience and qualifications will always count more.

As for doing an ROV course, when you read through the site you will see that opinions vary on whether they are worthwhile or which couyrse suppliers are better/worse etc.

[Craig]

Thanks for the reply rayshields. I hadn’t considered an NVQ in hydraulics. I’ll look into it.

[ROV_Monkey]

I agree with Ray, but would also suggest you start applying now. You would appear amply qualified to start as a trainee and would be able to get further training on hydraulic / electical systems via the company

Cheers

Monkey

[Author]

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