Meet the Apprentice: Dylan Fettes

Starting his apprenticeship in September 2020, 19-year-old Dylan Fettes is currently halfway through his first year of the Oil & Gas Technical Apprenticeship Programme, training in the Process Technician discipline.

He currently splits his time between theory-based college learning at NESCOL and practical training at ASET.

Dylan F 1

What inspired you to apply to the OGTAP scheme?

I liked the idea of a combination between continuing my education and starting my career, so an apprenticeship seemed like the best of both worlds.

The OGTAP scheme was a good fit for the school subjects I was passionate about; plus, the job skills I was interested in learning. I’ve always believed that learning a trade will stand you in good stead for the rest of your career.

As well as this, I was keen to start a career that had clear paths for progression. The engineering opportunities within the energy industry are endless and there’s always the potential to do new things, which really appealed to me.

What has been the best element of your apprenticeship so far?

So far, I’ve enjoyed every part of it. I really like how personal the scheme is. You’re not just a number in a classroom, the lecturers genuinely care about seeing you succeed which is really motivating.

I particularly enjoy the days training at ASET as this is the closest thing you get to a real-life working environment at this stage of the apprenticeship.

Has there been any part of the apprenticeship that you have found particularly challenging?

I think having to adapt to training online due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a learning curve for everyone. Having to learn remotely means that you have be more independent and be able to motivate yourself.

However, a silver lining to this was that everyone in my cohort is always there to help each other out. There is always someone to turn to if you are stuck.

Dylan Fettes 3

There’s currently a big focus in the industry around the energy transition. How do you feel an apprenticeship prepares you for working in the wider energy industry for example, in the oil and gas industry, but also potentially moving into renewables?

I think the fact that we learn a foundation of knowledge before specialising really helps us to develop transferable skills that can be used across the energy industry.

Although we do our training in the context of oil and gas, the general principles we learn are applicable across a range of sectors and it’s just a case of adjusting to the environment.

On top of this, the ASET instructors we learn from have a variety of backgrounds which allows us to see the value of what we’re learning from different perspectives.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying?

I would just say go for it.

Whether you’re looking for a career in oil and gas specifically or would like to work across the wider energy sector, the job opportunities from the scheme are endless.

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