Valentin Craciun was not new to pipelines when he began his apprenticeship with IACS; rather than inspecting them, he’d been lifting them on nationally significant infrastructure projects, which is where his ambition for his future rose.
“My career began on railways and construction sites. I was self-employed and spent most of my working days driving cranes and 360 excavators,“ explained Valentin.
Valentin joined the second cohort of apprentices, whose ‘Practitioner in Pipelines for Hydrogen and Utilities’ (PIPHU) programme started in February 2024. During his apprenticeship, Valentin has and continued to study for several qualifications, including welding inspection, coating inspection, magnetic particle inspection, and ultrasonic testing.
Valentin continued:
“IACS saw the bigger picture and I knew that I could benefit from this – I was getting the best and the right start and knew this way of working was a win-win for all of us.”
While Valentin recognised that the IACS apprenticeship was a way to secure his future, he has also benefited in so many different ways.
Here he explains:
About the apprenticeship…
The ‘Practitioner in Pipelines for Hydrogen and Utilities’ (PIPHU) programme is derived from the Level 3 Construction Support Technician apprenticeship standard. It provides a mixture of classroom-based learning at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre with practical on-site experience.
Each apprentice starts on a competitive salary, with opportunities to achieve performance-related incentives. Successful apprentices are offered a permanent role at IACS Ltd upon completion of the PIPHU apprenticeship.
