Greg Chapman - Former Electrical Maintenance Apprentice

In this Q&A, former Electrical Maintenance Apprentice Greg Chapman reflects on his time with APTUS and shares how his career has progressed since completing his apprenticeship.

When did you complete the APTUS (previously known as OGTAP) apprenticeship programme and what discipline did you study? 2010 - Electrical Maintenance

Why did you originally choose to apply for an apprenticeship programme and specifically, why did you choose APTUS? There were no university courses that interested me enough to apply and I wanted to work in an interesting field with a lot of opportunities to progress and develop.

What achievement during your apprenticeship had the biggest impact on your development? Achieving my first site electrical competency. That was the first major point that I could independently contribute to the team, allowing me to give back for all the time and effort put in by the team to development my skills.

How has your career progressed since completing the APTUS programme? Once I completed my apprenticeship in the Electrical discipline, I moved over to the Operation department where I completed my NVQ Level 3 in Operating Plant and Equipment. I then moved back to Maintenance as a Supervisor while studying part time for a degree in Electrical Engineering. After completing my degree, I moved to an Onshore Engineering role where I progressed to Technical Authority Level 3 and then onto Technical Authority Level 2.

Looking back on your career since APTUS, what stands out as a moment of success or achievement? Being only 1 of 3 people in the company to have achieved Technical Authority Level 2 in the Electrical discipline.

What skills have you learnt/taken away from the APTUS programme that help you/you use on a regular basis in your career now? There are a lot of skills I developed or learned during my time in the programme. The ones that stand out are, working as a team in challenging conditions, problem solving and adaptability.

If you could speak with someone considering the APTUS programme, what would you say to them to encourage them to apply? The APTUS programme opens up so many opportunities to you. Where you start may not be where you end up and the journey in between is the fun part.

Do you have any advice for the apprentices currently completing the programme? Enjoy your time in the programme and take every opportunity to learn. There won't be a greater time to learn so much.