Operations Apprentice Review

Operations apprentice, daily tasks include carrying out site wide checks/rounds looking at the state of the gas site (centrica easington gas site), carrying out isolations on pipelines and valves for maintenace techinicians to work on and keeping gas flowing. Also we are required to dispatch condensate which is separated out from the gas. We operate pumps and remove pipe flanges and fit flame traps or monktered bleeds, this is usually part of an isolation on a piece of euipment.

I have learnt a lot of new skills espicially interlinked with helath and safety and the ability to follow procedures, and how to maintain a safe working environment as this is a big consideration in the gas industry. I have also learnt some physical skills such as removing and fitting blanks to pipes and how to operate valves safely and the different types of valves. The start of my apprenticeship was very classroom focussed developing my engkish and maths skills in accordance to passing exams and trying to consume as much plant knowledge as possible in the 16 months.

I enjoy working with my company and am I happy when I come to work, the company has teat me very fairly and always maintained good communication with me. The college I went to gave me a good level 3 qualificayion which boosted my site knowledge substantially and what it is to be an operator. It has been set up very well and the ability to work as part of a shift team is really helpful to my development and aiming to become a competent operator.

It was structured very well with the company heling with any queries I may have had, I spent the first part of the apprenticeship in college which gave me a good knowledge set which was very helpful to when I transitioned to the live plant in which I was on days initially then switched to a shift rotor being incorporated with a shift team.

My employer is extremely supportive with very regular meetings and contacts who will respond to any questions I do have, I never felt left behind or not thought about with massive support from both HR and the managers I was put with. Everyone has an amazing attitude and are easy to talk to.

My training provider gave me a good set of qualifications and were quick for me to start my NVQ progression on site, they gave me some good pracyical training and a lot of theoretical knowledge which I can now put into practice. The communication was always there for me and support was always available.

I could not have come to the site without the knowledge delivered to me by their tutors, who all had on site experience and not only gave me the information but the fine details of how a site is operated and what is expected of you in the role. Without the information and practical training I would have been very nervous to get onto site but that was not the case.

I have been involved in a football tournament already with the company which was great fun and great for meeting people I soon saw on site. They offer many different social activities many sports related and take good care of their employees, they always invite me to any events they may host and are very inclusive.

Yes

I had a great comparison between my company and the other apprentices who were hired by different employees and by far was Centrica the best, they gave us all the equipment we would need such as PPE, laptops and clothing and kept in close contact with us throughout the college course which many other company's didn't.

Don't pick a trade you aren't interested in and be confident in your decision, make sure you are honest and communicate well as everyone in the company is easy to talk to and will support you, they reward you for putting in the hardwork and want you to succeed.