From Training to Employment: anatomy of the RTC#3 ROV Training Course

Introduction:

I have personally collected feedback from all of the people attending the course and I have collated their feelings. I hope i represent well, what they have been through.

Different individuals, having never met before enrolled on the Fugro RTC#3 ROV Training course commencing at the end of June.

Poles apart, different heritages, various motivation drivers, but only one shared goal: I want to be the best to win a contract and to start working in the Oil &Gas Industry with Fugro.

Yes, this is what Fugro advertised: “Fugro reserve the right to offer employment contracts to the best performing of each course”.

You have to pay in advance so the pressure in finding the money either from a bank loan, money borrowed from family, giving up a dream or using your own savings. People who committed themselves to succeed are strongly motivated. Admission to the course was already a hard step to overcome. Fugro is very selective, most of the CV’s are rejected and the unfortunate candidates mentored to focus on the areas they lack and re-submit their resume again in the future.

Being here is already an achievement.

The first day is a blast of new information, this is not a school, and it doesn’t smell like it. People are working here; I can see vessels, cranes, divers, ROV’s. There, at the yard end, that must be a work class ROV; the operator can almost walk inside the machinery so it’s big. The silhouette of the launch system blurs against the sunshine, while the ROV slowly descends into the water for a test. Maybe soon that will be me.

The HSE representative gently pulls my arm, you can’t stand here there are lifting operations ongoing, let’s move inside. Unintentionally I moved one step too far from the green “safe” designated area. I feel stupid; they told me that during the HSE induction.

I am sitting in the classroom, a nice facility located on top of the wide workshop. I am looking at the training material, leafing through the book and it’s quite big. A guy point out the tablet on my desk, the course is there, the book is only the program he said with a smile on his face. In few minutes the seats are all taken and I am looking at my competitors, they all seem to be solid, this is gonna be hard. They are here for the same reason, get a job. I cannot fail this one, I need to be focused.

During the first week i am bombarded with information, the majority about the safety culture and HSE procedures. Every morning we stand with the other employees attending the tool box meeting where we are told about the daily program. It looks like the training here is considered as like any other job. The workshop manager assigns task to the teams and we are told what our “job” will be. It is a nice to start to the day knowing what is going to happen in all the Opco. Today a Vessel will arrive to mobilise, I hope to have the time to have a look. The HSE manager show up advising the trainers today a 150ton crane will be transiting in the yard between 12 and 16:00 and to keep the guys safely aside.

At 17,30 the bus comes to pick us up and heads back to the hotel. We stay at the Rotana Yas Island hotel, a two minute walk to the Formula 1 circuit and Ferrari world. It’s a Five star place, awesome room and food, this place rocks. My mates are not so bad so I start to build friendships.

Day after day my head start to get into the game, training material seems to be supportive and I am able to accomplish the given tasks, tomorrow we are going to play on the ROV simulator.

I was expecting a Microsoft flight simulator fashioned thing, but is not. Full PPE, a door open and i am into a ROV control Van (is not actually because i am inside a building, but it looks like). A voice on the speaker croaks instruction and i sit at the pilot’s chair. I can see the ROV position from the Navigation screen, a voice from the intercom is calling the ROV, he’s the vessel captain. He gives me clearance to dive. My colleague is writing down the events to report accurately while I prepare to launch the ROV. I have done it hundreds of times in my head. After two minutes a guy step in, he is the client rep. Actually a real one, as he is attending the Client rep ROV induction course. I know he is here like us to learn, but the pressure is over the roof. I never thought a simulation could have been so demanding.

Fifteen days in to the course and I realised a major thing: These people are teaching us more than electronics or Hydraulics, honestly they are not even too worried about that, we all have been selected because of our technical background. The training team is teaching us how to work together, how to interact with the various departments of the company, how to compile a requisition order for stores, raise a permit to work, be safe and productive. Time allocation is a must. I understand a vessel costs about 100 dollar per minute (150K a day). How long does it take to me to write a report or run ROV maintenance has a huge impact. Even to recover the ROV to change a bulb, if it takes two hours may cost 12k to the company. This is how much I have paid for the whole ROV course!

I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, this is not all about me or how good i am. I cannot run an ROV myself; I need the team working with me. This is maybe the message they are pushing through. I really must stop thinking selfishly and work to support the other guys in their tasks.

The evenings at the Hotel are nice, after the swimming pool, to relax in the evening, we meet again with the trainers and they stay with us to help when as we need. The atmosphere is different now, I can smell comradeship. I don’t look anymore at my fellow colleagues as a threat, I understand we are all here to built our futures, we have to work hard together to succeed.

Today another vessel arrived to mobilise, we have been given the opportunity to step on the deck. This is how it looks; I will be working here one day. One of the ROV techs mobilising looks at us and smiling says: do you think you’re going to stand there looking at me sweating or are you gonna help me out with this? Even moving metal boxes from the quay side to the deck is rewarding for me. I feel already part of the company, what a great feeling. The HSE representative tells me that box is too big for one man only; you need two to move it. This damn baby sitter is always after me...

I feel at home here, I know how to move, crane noise doesn’t impress me anymore, i can tell you a vessel is mooring using the joystick, I can feel the bow thrusters pushing. Regardless if they employ me or not, no one on earth can take away from me what I have learnt here. I really feel I am cut out for the offshore life. I know this is my future now.

The course is over, we prepared an ROV for a job and now it is working. We put together many working hours. Last week is in the workshop, we work hard as everybody else and you can tell we are cadets only by the yellow jackets that differentiate us from the experienced guys. We attend actively the tool box meeting, we take the job card and we go.

I don’t want to leave this but life does not always grant wishes. Tonight the management will let us know about the course performance.

Here we go, all around the restaurant table, my stomach is cramping but I force a smile on my face. The trainer opens his bag, pulling out a bunch of papers. We are all glad we passed the training and the certificates are handed over to us. Hands shake and photographs are taken as required by the situation.

At this point the SubSea General Manager starts to talk: as you all are aware Fugro reserves the right to offer employment contracts to the people we believe best fit our organisation. During these days we have come to know you, your dreams, your capabilities, but more over your potential. This was not an easy task for us, you are all unique in your way and all of you have different skills that represent a good asset for Fugro. The management team could not come to an agreement in who to select. Every trainer put on the table very good reasons why we should employ each of you. As a manager I have seen people moving from a singularity to team players, you did stop competing for a job and you moved to a team player mind set. If I have learnt something in life, it’s not to break up a team that works well together. You actually put us in a corner; so the only fair and viable option is to employ all of you.

Welcome to Fugro.