Project Description

Engineering careers at TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a global leader in the energy industry, delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services to the traditional and new energies industry. In Fife, it has an impressive track record in developing young talent and building connections with local partners and projects to engage in a variety of employability activities for young people.

At its manufacturing facility in Dunfermline, TechnipFMC regularly takes on apprentices and has an established programme which encompasses multiple types of apprenticeship at the Modern Apprenticeship level, over four years, including human resources (HR), computer aided design (CAD), assembly and test, and the machine shop.

With 20,000 employees across the company globally, TechnipFMC is driven by a commitment to client success, and boasts a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry convention. It also has a clear focus on people and on developing success from within. The annual apprenticeship programme, which has been running for many years, is just one of the ways it invests in developing young talent. Some other examples include a robust graduate programme, open career talks, a growing wellbeing programme and global STEM initiatives which ably support both staff development and talent attraction.

TechnipFMC in Fife has long been a supporter of Developing the Young Workforce in Fife (DYW Fife), and with links to various local schools, it has a long track record of delivering successful activities for pupils.

Cameron Nellies, from Falkland in Fife, started with TechnipFMC after school as a Modern Apprentice and has worked for the company for eight years. He is now in his 2^nd year of a Graduate Apprenticeship with the business, as he studies ‘Engineering: Design and Manufacture’ at Strathclyde University. Cameron explains why he chose an apprenticeship in the first place.

He began,

“When I was finishing my 6^th year at Bell Baxter High School, I went to a few open days at universities but decided quite quickly that it wasn’t for me – I wasn’t particularly excited by it. I knew I wanted to do engineering but didn’t feel ready to commit to full time study. Luckily, one of my friends who had left school the year before me was doing an apprenticeship at TechnipFMC and told me a lot of great things about it. I decided to give it a try and I am so glad I did – I’ve never looked back and count it as one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Cameron’s modern apprenticeship experience helped him to fuel a personal ambition and drive to become a chartered engineer.

He explained,

“For me, the best thing about a modern apprenticeship is the experience of understanding the business environment crossed with the learning gained at college. I did an NC and then an HNC at the same time as working and on my days in the workplace I was able to rotate around all departments in the business. That way I could learn from the team whilst also getting to know the processes in each department so that I could understand how an organisation of this size operates and integrates. I also learned softer skills like how to talk to people and communicate effectively in a workplace. The mix of practical and theory was great for me and the real-life application of what I was learning in college really helped my understanding of the subject.”

Engineering Team Lead at TechnipFMC in Dunfermline, Steven Dunn, who manages the team Cameron works in and started as a Graduate Apprentice over ten years ago himself, explained how the business has found a great deal of value in committing to developing young talent like Cameron.

Steven said,

“TechnipFMC is a big, diverse and vibrant organisation with lots of opportunities, both locally and globally, to advance and progress. Apprenticeships bring a lot of positives to the business, including diverse thinking, fresh eyes and new enthusiasm energy which creates lots of value for our existing teams. Rotating the apprentices around the business allows us to ensure real understanding of how our teams and processes fit together, giving them knowledge of how to work effectively with anyone they need to. In terms of what we give to young people, over and above the structure of our apprenticeship programme, I would say that there are a lot of soft skills in leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem solving which come as part of the experience too.”

Following his modern apprenticeship, Cameron then worked at TechnipFMC for a few years to develop a deeper understanding of engineering and get a feel for what aspect of engineering he wanted to specialise in before deciding he wanted to take on the Graduate Apprenticeship.

Cameron went on,

“When I first did the modern apprenticeship, I was sure that I would never want to go to university but the experience gained here taught me that there was so much more to learn and more I could be exposed to so I could fully understand such a broad topic. It ignited a desire for me to become a fully chartered engineer, which the graduate apprenticeship will move me towards. At the end of the course at Strathclyde, I will become an Incorporated Engineer (IEng) which takes me one step closer to being a Chartered Engineer (CEng) – so that’s another bonus! Overall, learning and developing through apprenticeships has given me so much confidence. I’ve got comfortable in the business and progress made in the apprenticeship allowed me to make choices which will support the development of my career for many years to come. It really is the best of both worlds!”

DYW Fife is proud to showcase its relationship with TechnipFMC as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022. If you need some further information or guidance on how your business can engage with DYW Fife to work with local schools or support young people to take their first steps into the world of work, contact Amanda Liddell at DYW Fife on amandaliddell@fifechamber.co.uk or 07527545733.