A little while ago we sat down with Boston Energy Technician Andy, to congratulate him on his promotion to Shift Lead and to find out more about his career journey in the wind industry after transitioning from the RAF.
Andy has been with us for nearly 5 years, and in that time has played a pivotal role in helping to develop our relationships on site, as well as leading the charge for his fellow technicians to achieve career progression.
As we grow our service offering to clients across the world on both onshore and offshore projects, we are incredibly proud of technicians such as Andy who go above and beyond in their role to support others as well as putting 100% into everything they do on site. Continue reading to find out more about Andy and his career in the wind industry!
Hello! Firstly, congratulations on your new role! Could you start by telling us a bit about your journey in the wind industry up to now? How did you get to where you are today?
So I’ve been with Boston Energy coming up to 5 years in May.
I started as a Level 4 Technician although I was already a level 5 from my 4 years with SGRE prior.
Within 2 months of being with Boston Energy, the company was asked by SGRE if they could supply several Level 5 Maintenance Technicians for an offshore site as they were short of Authorised Techs.
This was a landmark event as SGRE had never let a contractor take the role of a Level 5 Team Lead. They said it would be a trial period using the ex SGRE techs, and if all went well, then they would allow Boston Energy to train up and utilise more Wind Technicians to Level 5.
Myself and a few others paved the way for Boston to further their relationship with SGRE, by leading a successful service campaign at one of their offshore windfarms and helping a struggling site to get back on its feet.
Moving on some years and I was offered my previous job back as Traveling Technician with SGRE. I was torn on what to do over this.
I opted to stay with Boston Energy, as I was one of the first to be offered a Troubleshooting course – another milestone for Boston. This again opened the door for other Technicians to have the opportunity to progress their careers into a Troubleshooter position.
I’m happy I’ve made the right choice to stay with Boston as I can see things evolving further; I can see a strong relationship being formed with RWE, and I’d like to play instrumental part within this process by carrying on with my good work and taking on the role as a Shift Lead to help, guide and train others.
What made you choose a career in wind energy?
As I approached the end of my time in the Royal Air Force, I was still in contact with some friends who had already left the RAF and joined the wind industry. They were also Aircraft Technicians, so it seemed the logical choice to transfer my skills and abilities to wind energy.
What will your new role involve? What are you most looking forward to?
My new role as Shift Lead will see me carry on as a Team Lead, but also give me added responsibility of assisting the other Technicians on my shift with admin issues, PPE and help identify those who are ready for progression. I look forward to supporting my shift (and all Boston Energy techs at site) with all aspects of ‘life at site’ from the mundane, through to important urgent issues that may occur by utilising the skills gained through my time as a supervisor in the RAF.
What made you choose a career with Boston Energy?
I worked alongside Boston Energy technicians for a few years whilst I was a SGRE employee. During this time, I got an insight to how Boston works and realised that it was a lot better than I had initially thought. Joining Boston Energy was the obvious choice with what they were offering and their future aspirations.
Would you recommend Boston Energy and why?
Yes; Boston Energy are different to the other companies within the wind industry, they are highly established and are quickly expanding across the sector. They have an excellent training centre which offers new starters the professional initial training, along with refresher courses for current technicians, not to mention excellent back office staff and managers giving their support. They have numerous roles available across several platforms meaning that there is something available for everyone.
What would you say to someone looking to begin a career in the wind industry?
Do your research on companies first by attending wind energy job open days. There is usually a fair few of these throughout the year, and are held in several locations across the country. Make a list of what you want to achieve in a career within the industry, ask the companies at the events if they could help you with your goals. Once you’ve spoke with the helpful and friendly representatives from Boston Energy you’ll realise that they are the best option to choose.
For regular updates on our Armed Forces recruitment, head to our website page or follow us on Linkedin!
We are dedicated to providing our technicians with the opportunity to progress onto the next level of their career, in 2022 we were able to upskill over a quarter of our workforce and continue to support our technicians with whatever career goals they might have. If you are looking to enhance your career in the wind industry and would like to know more about working at Boston Energy, head to our vacancies page to view our current opportunities across the globe.
Or if you are looking for high quality training in the East Yorkshire area, find all of our GWO accredited courses available to book on our training page.
