ROV training schools – Nice!

[James McLauchlan]

Below is a recent news item posted on this website.

The Underwater Centre launches unique ROV training and subsea support course
Date: Monday, January 18, 2010 @ 12:00:00 GMT
Topic: ROV NEWS

The Underwater Centre launches unique ROV training and subsea support courseThe Underwater Centre, along with Lochaber College UHI, is set to deliver a brand new qualification specifically to target those living in the local community. It has been designed so that previous subsea experience will not be necessary. The Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) Subsea Support Skills Course was devised and written in just over three months and has been fully accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

A total of eight students will be selected for the course, which is being funded by the European Social Fund, and is due to start at the beginning of next year.

The eighteen week course will cover a range of subjects including electronics, ROV systems, fibre optics and lifting equipment. Central to the course will be the hands on experience of flying a vehicle and training in lifelike conditions.

Students will be based at The Underwater Centre for 10 weeks and at Lochaber College for the remaining eight.

Students who complete the course will then be able to work in the ROV sector which is set to see a significant growth in the next four years, according to a new report from top industry analysts, Douglas Westwood, who have revealed that, following a slow down this year, the ROV industry will be worth $3.2billion by 2014.

The ROV Subsea Skills Course is a customised award – a bespoke course which has been specifically designed to meet the needs of The Underwater Centre – and will be the first subsea course offered at Lochaber College.

It will build on the existing strong relationship between The Underwater Centre and Lochaber College – the Centre’s students already use the college facilities, such as the Learning Resource Centre.

General Manager of The Underwater Centre, Steve Ham, said the course is an excellent opportunity to provide the local community with the opportunity of working in the thriving ROV sector.

"The subsea sector will continue to grow over the next few years and this has been underlined by the recent Douglas Westwood report. As oil and gas companies need to explore even greater depths to extract hydrocarbons, there will be an increased need for ROVs," he said.

"It is an exciting, rewarding and highly lucrative career and we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to the local community through our partnership with Lochaber College.

"Our team have liaised very closely with staff at the college to devise this bespoke course which will allow a student with no previous subsea experience to become qualified ROV pilots. This is what makes this course such an exciting and unique training development as it opens the door to a very worthwhile career.

"As with all of our subsea courses, our strength of offering is in our expert staff, our facilities and the fact that our students benefit from realistic training conditions using industry standard equipment."

Douglas Macdiarmid, Chief Executive of Lochaber College, said: Lochaber College is enthusiastic about this new development in our partnership with the Underwater Training Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity for local people to train for employment in this vital industry all the more so as the fees for this pilot course are being paid for by the European Social Fund.

After having completed their training I would like to survey the number of UK based ROV trainees that feel they might actually gain employment in the UK sector of the North Sea?

Given that some major Aberdeen based subsea contractors (although technically registered elsewhere in the world) are using cheap foreign labour to replace traditionally UK sourced trainees, it should be an interesting topic of discussion.

[Andy Shiers]

Grhhhhhhhhhhh 👿
Don’t get me started James 😡

[Toni Morgan]

Here we go again.
"Does anyone know of any agencies taking on trainees".
That’s going to be the main topic of conversation soon on here.

I just hope that the Underwater Centre don’t guarantee jobs for their students after completing the course.
Yes the industry is starting to pick up and it will be interesting to see how many companies will be taking on new blood in the next few years.

[James McLauchlan]

Yes the industry is starting to pick up and it will be interesting to see how many companies will be taking on new blood in the next few years.

… and where that new blood hails from and at what rate?

[Ray Shields]

"ROV Subsea Skills Course is a customised award – a bespoke course which has been specifically designed to meet the needs of The Underwater Centre"

ICS write and supply their own courses too, and how useful are THEY in the real world. How about the needs of the Trainees?

" This is a wonderful opportunity for local people to train for employment in this vital industry all the more so as the fees for this pilot course are being paid for by the European Social Fund."

Err, so they are being PAID to supply it, don’t think they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.

"…allow a student with no previous subsea experience to become qualified ROV pilots."

No it doesn’t, it allows them to apply for TRAINEE jobs.

[rovnumpty]

Now now gents.

Lets not look at the glass half full.

The ROV schools are trying to survive during difficult times the same as everyone else. Hats off to Fort Bill for getting a course set up that does something locally, and is recognised by someone other than the IMCA old boys club.

Everyone agrees that the ROV industry needs some trianing standards, but no-one is willing to set them, or enforce them. At least someone that’s been on a course has some inkling of what the job entails, as opposed to some of the ‘Fake CV cowboys’ we occasionally get.

Before the flaming starts, I’m not advocating them for people trying to get into the industry, not at the priceses they all currently charge. The sensible option would be for the companies to tie in with the schools for more advanced trianing and (whisper it) exams at the diffenernt competancy levels.

[Author]

Posts