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.
“I then joined the crews working on an aviation fuel pipeline from Southampton to Heathrow. I lifted them, and the engineers welded them. During this time, I started to really think about my future.
“When you work in these environments, you get to hear about plans for sites and pretty soon the discussions turned to hydrogen and green energy. Being very conscious about my future, I decided that my best option was to consider a role that included knowledge of hydrogen.
“It was time for me to evolve. But this was much easier said than done!
“When you are self-employed, and you have an ambition that requires qualifications and experience, it's tough because your time is money. Also, anyone working within the pipeline industry knows how difficult, yet crucial, it is to get experience.
“So, when I heard about IACS’ apprenticeship, how it combined learning with experience and also integrated hydrogen safety, I knew it was worth investigating. I have always been a ‘just in case’ guy, and I knew that this opportunity would help to support my future job security.”
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:
“For me, the IACS programme was a dream. It wasn’t just passing exams to earn tickets; it was complemented with onsite learning and invaluable experience.
“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:
“Being part of the apprenticeship with the other apprentices has been a great experience. How we have helped each other along the way will always be one of my highlights. We have all enjoyed being students, but equally we have got our heads down, listened, gained knowledge and made connections – every part of this journey has been resourceful.
“But the biggest highlight has been the opportunity to be a part of the IACS family, knowing that I will be playing an important role in the future of our economy.”
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.
