Mr. Kevin Macleod of Caithness, who was working as an instrument technician with Johnson Controls at Dounreay until recently, has been taken on as an apprentice ROV pilot technician with Fugro, one of the world’s largest ROV operators.
Macleod completed the three week ROV Pilot Technician course at The Underwater Centre after receiving funding as part of the “Make the Right Connections” project, which aims to help find jobs for those affected by the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear facility.
Macleod started his new role at Fugro and is hoping to return to The Underwater Centre for further training. He said “With the rundown and decommissioning of the Dounreay Nuclear Site and the offshore energy sector on the way up, it seemed like a natural progression for me to pursue a career which would involve some of the skills which I had learned in my time working at Dounreay.
“The training offered at The Underwater Centre was of a very high standard and I hope that my time spent there will help me in my new career. My new role at Fugro is as a trainee ROV pilot technician and my planned career progression is to work my way up from this role to supervisor depending on opportunities within the company. Moving from the nuclear industry into the oil and gas sector was a big decision as it is a completely new role, but I am hopeful that I can adapt to the new scope of work and make the most of this opportunity.”