GWO BTT: The big industry problem that nobody's talking about
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After my first offshore experience, I stayed on that site for a few weeks. It was good, I learned a bit more about the turbines, had my first “turbine wee” (if you know, you know), and met my first apprentice assessor.
He’d come from the training centre in Newcastle. To be honest, I think he’d been lumped with the role and was figuring it out as he went along. He was meant to meet us every month or so to track progress, but we only met a couple of times before being left to our own devices again. Funny twist: years later, I met him again during my AT training, and eventually we became colleagues in the training centre. Even now, we check in from time to time. If you’re reading this, mate, thank you for always doing your best to look out for me.
London Array - a whole new chapter
Fast forward to Ramsgate and London Array, at the time, the largest offshore wind farm in the world. That was a nice ice breaker when people asked what i did!
I arrived for induction with another apprentice, only to realise I’d forgotten my boots (classic Dom). The first thing I heard was:
“Well, you better go get some.”
Once I’d fixed that, we were welcomed in with open arms.
London Array was different to anywhere I’d been before. From day one, it just felt like a proper team. I won’t name names, but honestly, I don’t need to - because every single person there made the place what it was. Management, planners, storemen, lead techs, deck hands, contractors, skippers (well… except one, I’ll not write about that here, but if you were at London Array around that time you definitely know what I'm talking about!). Everyone looked out for each other.
The operating company changed hands a few times over the years, but the core people stayed the same, and that’s what mattered.
The scramble for evidence
Like most apprentices, I left gathering evidence for my portfolio to the last possible moment. I’d been doing the jobs, but not documenting them properly. When my new assessor came onboard, the panic hit; I needed task sign-offs, technical evidence, and witness statements, and I needed them quickly.
Here’s the thing: no one let me sink.
Site managers, lead techs, planners, storemen, all chipped in. They made sure I was put onto the jobs I needed to cover the units, pointed me to the right opportunities, and helped me gather the evidence to actually prove what I could do.
A home from home in Ramsgate
We spent around two and a half years at LA, and by the end we felt like part of the furniture. Even after my apprenticeship, I worked there a few more times, and each time it felt like coming back to familiar ground.
And part of that was thanks to Charlie and Rebecca at Glendevon Guest House. That place really was a home from home. Rebecca looked out for me like a second mam, once even nursing me back to health when I got unwell. Charlie’s full English breakfasts were legendary. The kind of plate that sets you right for a 12-hour day offshore or, let’s be honest, to cure a hangover after a night out.
They didn’t just run a guest house; they looked after us. Reasonable rates, warm welcome, and a sense that you belonged. Looking back, it made all the difference.
Lessons beyond the turbines
I learned how to do the job properly at LA - not just the technical skills, but how to work as part of a team, how to pull your weight, and how to enjoy yourself too. We had great nights out, shared plenty of laughs, and I started to feel like I really belonged in this industry.
None of it was planned. But it was exactly what I needed.
From an apprentice’s view of training
Since I eventually ended up founding WTS and devoting my whole professional life to technical training, it feels right to look back on my apprenticeship with that lens.
Over four years, I spent about a year at college and three years offshore. I had four apprentice managers (turns out keeping 30 young apprentices safe and on task is harder than it looks), visited multiple offshore wind farms, had two assessors, and attended two or three technical courses.
But if I’m brutally honest? The training side of the apprenticeship fell short.
- The college course was at best not applicable, and at worst, a waste of time.
- Constant changes in management created a disconnect between apprentices and the company.
- There wasn’t enough structured technical development spread throughout the programme.
By the end, I’d matured and was desperate for proper technical training. But most of it had been lumped into the start, which wasn’t the most impactful way to learn.
That experience shaped how I see training now, and why I’m so determined to do it differently.
Next week: “No job, no clue, world's worst interview.” The reality of finishing my apprenticeship and being left to fight it out for a job and career sets in.
