Two North-East apprentices begin training as ROV pilots at Film-Ocean

Share

Our first Apprentice Development Scheme aims to grow the specialists the industry struggles to recruit.

Olivia Barclay is 20 and spent her teens fixing cars and quad bikes with her dad. Ryan Williams, 21, was baking at Tesco two years before he started his engineering studies. Now both are training in our Ellon workshop to become ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) Pilots/Technicians, operating and maintaining underwater robots used in the offshore energy industry. Their story was featured in the Press and Journal on 8 October.

They are the first two trainees on our new Apprentice Development Scheme, launched in 2026 to grow our own specialists in a field where experienced staff are hard to recruit. We have a great team of skilled people, but we want to futureproof the business and give new talent the chance to build a career in an exciting industry.

Learning on the job

Each week, Ryan splits his time between college, where he is working towards a PEO (Performing Engineering Operations) qualification, and our Ellon workshop. Olivia, who earned her HNC in Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering at North East Scotland College (NESCol), is in the workshop full time, backed by academic training at NESCol. Their days include terminating copper and fibre cables, testing hydraulic systems and learning how ROV systems are maintained, alongside experienced technicians. Their progress is monitored through regular reviews.

Both are due to complete High Voltage Training and Schilling Introductory and Maintenance Training this year.

Dawn Banaszkiewicz, Training and Competency Lead at Film-Ocean, said: "The ROV industry is highly specialised, and there are few routes for people to become Pilots/Technicians, so opportunities to recruit talent externally are limited. This scheme lets us develop our own people, combining hands-on experience, formal training, mentoring and competence assessment. Olivia and Ryan have made a positive start, and we intend to make this an annual programme that supports succession planning and a sustainable pipeline of skilled people."

Ryan said: “I was really excited to join Film-Ocean as a Mechanical Apprentice. Everyone has been welcoming and supportive, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next four years take me.”

Olivia added: “From the start, everyone has been supportive, which has helped me feel comfortable asking questions. I’ve also gained a clearer understanding of how complex these systems are, and I’m eager to keep learning about all the equipment Film-Ocean has.”

Merv New, CEO at Film-Ocean, commented: "We’ve invested heavily in our fleet, but equipment alone doesn’t deliver results for clients. It takes skilled, competent people. Developing our own talent, and inspiring young people through MATE ROV and our work with local schools is how we secure the future of Film-Ocean and ROV operations in the North Sea."

Backing the next generation

The scheme is part of a wider programme of work with young people. We were a main sponsor of the 2026 MATE ROV Scotland Regional, hosted by Robert Gordon University in April. It is the only European qualifying heat of the global underwater robotics competition, in which secondary pupils design, build and pilot their own ROVs. We opened our Ellon test pool to the competing school teams, and our Technical Support Engineers volunteered as judges and mentors on the day. Keith Grammar School won and represented Scotland at the world championship in Canada.

We have committed to sponsoring the competition again in 2027 and will once more open our Ellon workshop and test pool to local schools, giving pupils the chance to trial their ROV designs. In early October, we also welcomed a group of young women to our Ellon facility as part of Girls in Energy, another step in our efforts to bring new talent into the industry.

Read the full story in the Press and Journal.

To see more news from our team, visit our Media Room. You can also follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates.