MEET JOE – SETA APPRENTICE
It’s fair to say that Joe Roper isn’t afraid of heights!
Joe trained at Seta for the first year of his Mechanical and Electrical apprenticeship, which he is now completing at energy equipment manufacturing and services company GE Vernova.
He’s often found working as a Service Technician on GE Vernova’s huge wind turbines at Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, which is being built off the coast of North East England.
Joe splits his time between Dogger Bank Wind Farm’s Operations and Maintenance base at Port of Tyne, South Shields and working out in the North Sea.
And as Joe explains, an engineering apprenticeship can take you to some exciting places…
Let’s find out our more.
Why did you decide to take the apprenticeship route?
I just didn't really like the idea of university after school and being in lots of debt. I wanted to get hands on experience and start earning money. I did my A-levels but then started to apply for apprenticeships because I wanted to go straight into a job.
How have you benefited from training at Seta?
It’s great because you’re not just focusing on one thing when you are at Seta, the training is much broader than that. We had electrical training and PLC training, we learned about hydraulics, we worked on the lathes, we worked with hand tools… so we got a taste of everything.
I can apply all the things I learned at Seta in my job.
What has been your highlight of your apprenticeship so far?
Climbing up a wind turbine for the first time! It was when we were working in Rotterdam on a prototype.
However, there’s always a new challenge, every day.
How do you find the experience of working for a global company like GE Vernova?
It’s really good. You are very well looked after in terms of things like healthcare. I work two weeks on and two weeks off, which gives me a great work/life balance too.
How does it feel to be working on the world’s largest offshore wind farm?
It’s very exciting to be part of it. When Dogger Bank is fully up and running, with all of the wind turbines installed, it’s going to be massive. Even now, you can see the sheer scale of the wind farm. It’s huge!
Where could a career in the renewable energy industry take you?
It could take you anywhere! There are so many opportunities: I didn’t realise how many until I got into the industry. I’m working as a Service Technician at the moment, but there are jobs in areas such as installation and commissioning, and roles that are more computer-based.
You don’t just have to stay in the North Sea either, the offshore wind industry is all over the world – there are new windfarms opening up in Australia and America, and GE Vernova has wind turbines off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in the US too.
This is a job for life.
Find out how you can start your engineering journey with an apprenticeship and explore opportunities at Seta here.
For more stories from apprentices, click here.
Interested in a career in engineering? Check out our apprenticeship vacancies here.
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