Case Study

Rebecca Finlay - Marine Operations Officer Apprentice (PMOO)

A conversation with the first marine apprentice at the Port of Tyne, 20-year-old Rebecca Finlay.

What inspired you to pursue an apprenticeship?

I always thought that an apprenticeship was the best choice for me. I'm not a fan of sitting in a classroom for a long time. I needed a balance of academic as well as practical learning, which you don’t always get at a college or university. In my time at the port so far, I have had some great first-hand experience of the job while also working towards getting the key qualifications.

Why Port of Tyne? 

I've always loved being around the water. I've been involved with Sea Cadets since I was 12 years old, and I've been teaching sailing since I was 16. I always knew I wanted to work around water in some sense, but I never really knew how. Then this apprenticeship came up, and I was like, "Oh, that's perfect."

However, the idea of going to sea for months and not coming home was and is not appealing. This apprenticeship is a perfect job in the marine environment without having to leave the North East. Those kinds of opportunities don't come up very often, especially at my age, so I had to take this opportunity when it was there.

The apprenticeship programme at the Port of Tyne is very flexible. Depending on what's going on at the port, I get offered different opportunities, even outside the Marine Department. I'm looking forward to returning next month!

What is it like to be the first Marine Apprentice?

Since there hasn't been anyone else before me, in some ways it's quite difficult because there's no one else around in that department who's my age. However, everybody else has loads of experience that I can draw on. I am glad that I got to work alongside them, especially my line manager, Dillon Brown.

This opportunity is still very new, not just at Port of Tyne but around the country as well.

How do you balance your studies and work? 

This apprenticeship is great in terms of balance since there is no overlap between college and the port. I started in May, and I was there full-time until September. I’m currently at college, and I'll be back with colleagues this March, and then I'll be heading back to college again for a few months at the start of next year to do another course.

Most of the apprenticeships available do not work that way. Usually, your week is split between college and work, with just one day off. The Port of Tyne scheme is completely different. I prefer it if you're in one place for months at a time and can settle in quite easily. I don’t think I would be able to do both at the same time. I could imagine that would be quite hectic. It's nice to have one thing to focus on at a time and not be stuck in one place for years and years.

How are you liking it so far?

Everyone that I've met at the port so far has been incredibly supportive. not just the management but also the pilot boat crew, with whom I’ve spent a lot of time. They were enthusiastic about showing me the ropes.

Although I have a unique experience being at such a young age in the Marine Department, you don't see young people doing things like getting VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) qualifications very often. It’s nice knowing other apprentices are going to join me. I recommend it to other students!

How does the apprenticeship connect to your studies?

The course I'm taking now at college will give me the foundation of maritime knowledge I need to complete this qualification. But we're doing loads of different subjects as well, such as sea survival.

My apprenticeship is very much tailored to exploring all the various parts of the Marine Department. So far, I've been working on pilot boats, which I've loved. Every day was completely different, and I think it’s going to be the same when I come back in March. I do enjoy the fact that you never really know what you're getting yourself into until you're there. Different ships, different weather conditions—everything's changing, you know, and it's great.

I hate being in a routine where it's like everything every day is the same. Especially since my time at college has been very much like that. We've got a timetable we must stick to.

What's day-to-day life like as an Apprentice at the Port?

My experience at the port so far has been mostly working alongside the two members of the crew on the pilot boat. By and large, whenever a large ship's coming into the river, you must have a pilot on board to steer them in. This job can be difficult in rough weather, but it is also exciting. I’ve climbed on the ladder onto a ship a couple of times, and I've gone up with the pilot and experienced it from their point of view. I've also driven the pilot boat to the ship, and by the end, I was bringing the pilot boat alongside a ship while it was moving. It's stressful, but it's fun as well.

Those are the pilot boat's main duties, but they also have extra responsibilities. On the first of every month, on the night shift, they do a light check-up in Newcastle, checking all the navigation lights along the river.

There are a lot of other things that I never realised would land in the pilot boat skill set, such as emergency response. Also, because our VTS are right on the river, we can watch that whole stretch from the mouth to the corner where the container vessels are.

It turns out the pilot boat has great facilities to help people get out of the water. The boats have big recovery platforms that just lift with the press of a button, so you don't have to do much work.

I was on board a couple of times when the pilot boat was rescuing people that fell into the river. Twice in the summer, we had two people in the water to bring to shore. We had to call an ambulance because it was late at night and it was cold. The other was an intoxicated person who decided he wanted to swim from Newcastle to South Shields. It’s not fun, of course, but it’s another valuable experience to have.

I got further emergency training when I got sent across to the Innovation Hub, where I got to experience a simulated emergency response from the management side.