Newcastle, Strathclyde and Southampton are Britain’s top three universities to study naval architecture and Maria Dragoumerli has gained both a bachelor and masters degree in this discipline from Newcastle University. At university she became interested in the emerging and growing renewables sector of offshore engineering.
As well as being clean and green, the sector has the potential to deliver many long-term and exciting opportunities. Although specialised renewable offshore energy degrees are offered at universities, wind energy as a specific area of study does not usually form part of a naval architecture course. Maria Dragoumerli , however, was particularly interested to learn more about this emerging industry.
As with many students, Maria was unsure as to the career path she wanted to follow on graduating. She applied for the graduate training scheme with the LOC Group, one of the world’s largest maritime engineering consultancies, which offered exposure to many engineering disciplines.
During the four years training programme, Maria will learn and experience a range of different naval architecture work working in several LOC offices around the world. This will include casualty management, casualty investigation, claims and litigation work, and marine warranty surveying in the offshore and renewable sectors. Currently Maria is working with the London renewables team, focussing on offshore wind energy, and has quickly realised that there are a great number of technical challenges to stretch a naval architect, To become an effective consultant Maria needs to gain the breadth of experience which the LOC scheme is currently delivering. She is gaining vital hands-on site experience of renewable installations as well as the more formal, technical knowledge required to develop a career in warranty surveying.
It is too early to settle on a specific area of specialisation but the renewable wind energy sector is certainly a possibility for Maria. LOC’s graduate scheme is providing a range of opportunities that were not so readily identifiable during her time at Newcastle. Universities provide a strong grounding and theoretical perspective on the engineering profession, but it takes a comprehensive training scheme to provide that important practical dimension.
LOC has a wealth of renewable expertise, particularly in the wind energy sector. The company is consulting and advising clients on wind farm installations across the world. Maria is now part of these exciting activities and building her future as a key team player.
Sabine Lankhorst