Name: Alan Soutter
Age: 36
Job Title: Industrial Skills Instructor/ Assessor
Employed: Since October 2017
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m very much a family man so the majority of my spare time is spent having fun and making memories with my partner and our kids. If I’m not with them you will either find me at the gym or pounding the pavements of Aberdeen or on occasions out socialising with friends.
Give us a quick run-through of your average working day…
I normally arrive at survive at 7:30 after the daily challenge of getting the kids up and ready for school and dropped off at their Grandmas. Just enough time to grab a coffee from the canteen from our lovely dinner ladies and catch up with the rest of the skills team before the morning meeting commences.
Our morning meeting starts at 7:45 in the skills hall where we discuss the plan for the day ahead, who is teaching what, weather forecast for the day and any concerns or issues. After the morning meeting I will then go and check my classroom is ready for the day ahead before getting my register from reception and picking up the delegates at 8:00.
Most days it’s a full day of teaching whether it be classroom theoretical training or practical training in our skills hall or outside in the Banksman Slinging area. Any spare time will be utilised in helping with maintenance jobs and around the centre.
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
There are many enjoyable aspects of my job from working as part of an excellent highly professional team to continually meeting new people and helping them meet their training and competency requirements. For me though the most rewarding thing about my role is seeing the development of the Stage 1 Banksman Slingers and Stage 1 Riggers. It’s great when you see someone walk in with very little or no experience in the subject to then leave us with the confidence to apply the knowledge, skills and training that they have acquired with us into the work place.
And any dislikes?
There really isn’t much, however teaching OPITO Banksman Slinger Stage 1 during the beast from the east was tricky. Our training runs whatever the weather, which can be a challenge at times but worth it!