Careers

Shane Moloney

My background is a little different – I’m a mature graduate who left school at 18 to become a mechanical engineer, and only returned to university several years later to pursue a future in marine engineering.

On graduating, I took a good look around – I think I went for seven interviews. What impressed me about Babcock was the type and quality of the development scheme which was accredited to all the major engineering institutions. The programme is well structured with a balanced view both of my needs and those of the company. For someone already with a background of working experience, that clearly made practical sense.

So far I have been involved in two major projects. Firstly, the concept design of a large offshore natural gas liquefaction plant, in which I predominantly worked on the power plant cooling water system – and for three weeks I was the only marine engineer on the project!

My past three months have been spent at Rosyth, working on the refit of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose. This got me out of the office and gave me valuable hands-on experience of collaborating on-site with the project naval architect in designing the engine room layout, and with our own production team in comprehensively testing refurbished systems.

Next up, I’m off to Appledore in Devon, to join a programme building two new offshore patrol vessels for the Irish Naval Service. This placement was an opportunity that came along when Babcock became preferred bidders and could not be missed. Being able to put a good case forward and making the placement happen is fantastic, you really can shape your direction here. There are loads of opportunities, but you need to be proactive.

At Babcock I know I can develop myself to my full potential, and influence some of the most important, high profile engineering projects in the UK today. We’re encouraged to think of ourselves as the managers of the future, and I appreciate that even at this early stage, my opinion does matter and my voice will be listened to. It feels quite strange to go from the design office to the dockyard, thinking that in four years’ time I could be running a part of this. That’s a considerable challenge, and one I’m looking forward to.

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