PII Pipeline Solutions supports Apprenticeship initiative for recruitment into pipeline industry

PII Pipeline Solutions, a GE Oil & Gas and Al Shaheen pipeline services joint venture based in Cramlington, UK, has shown its support for the UK’s National Apprenticeship Week 2013, by speaking about recent apprenticeships offered by the inspection and integrity services provider.

PII Pipeline Solutions recognises the importance of apprentices to its long-term success and, for the last 10 years, has recruited apprentices across a range of business functions including operations, finance, and most recently information management and purchasing at its Cramlington facility.

“Apprenticeships give us the opportunity to hire new talent and train individuals in the specialist field of inline pipeline inspection, which underscores the importance of these programs not just for PII but for the Cramlington and UK economies,” said Michael Bellamy, General Manager for PII Pipeline Solutions.

One of the most recent apprentices to join PII’s full time workforce, Joe Bamborough, recalls that in high school he decided to pursue a career in engineering “and saw that an advanced apprenticeship was the perfect way to do this.”

After leaving school at age 16 in 2008, Joe joined the Rolls Royce North East Training Centre to develop skills in various aspects of engineering such as machining, welding and electrical principles. Along with gaining fundamental knowledge in the engineering trade, he also went through a First Diploma and National Certificate in Engineering program at Newcastle College.

“I was offered a job interview with PII Pipeline Solutions, which was successful,” Bamborough said. “I carried on my learning at Newcastle College until June 2009 and then joined the PII centre of excellence in Cramlington, Northumberland. It was here I learned about ‘pigging’ and developed my mechanical and electrical engineering skills in line with the pipeline inspection tools that are maintained at Cramlington.”

During Joe’s apprenticeship at PII, he continued to study at Newcastle College and after four years, he earned a Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Multi-Skill Engineering, with PII’s sponsorship. Joe also continued to work closely with PII’s training officer who helped him gain an NVQ Level 3 and his full apprenticeship in engineering.

When not attending college, Joe worked on the inspection tools both mechanically and electrically with the support of an experienced team who helped him develop his technical skills as he rotated through various departments to gain a wider appreciation of the importance of PII’s role in the global energy industry. He underwent additional training, including fork-lift truck driving, slinger/banksman training, first aid training, tackle inspection training and offshore survival training.

Nearing the end of his apprenticeship, in September 2012, Joe was assigned to a project in Slovakia that successfully ran an inspection tool through two 48 in. pipelines and put to the test the skills he had learned through his apprenticeship, which in time has had a significant impact on his life.

“After my apprenticeship, I managed to gain full-time employment with PII as an Operations Technician and have subsequently been part of two-men teams running inspection tools through pipelines in the UK and Germany. I’m now 20 years old and have a full apprenticeship in engineering and an FdSc in Multi-Skill Engineering, which gives me the option to study for a bachelor’s of science degree in engineering in the future.”

However, for now, Joe said he plans to continue gaining experience in the magnetic inspection technology from the Centre of Excellence in Cramlington, both in the workshop and in-field, and also continue to develop his technical skills.

Adapted from press release by Elizabeth Corner.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/14032013/pii_pipeline_solutions_showcases_support_for_apprenticeships_in_pipeline_sector-170/