11/4/16
Every week AIS’s world-class team of 44 instructors trains hundreds of delegates from across the world in more than 200 industry-approved qualifications at our four sites: North Shields, Grimsby, Aberdeen and Huddersfield.
The team is a tight-knit bunch with around 400 years of industry experience between them, giving trainees access to some of the most knowledgeable brains in the business.
Each instructor tends to have their own area of expertise, although we are currently undergoing a train-the-trainer programme to ensure instructors are able to train across different disciplines. Depending on customers’ needs, courses may run over weekends or evenings and the instructors work extremely hard delivering skills whenever needed.
Delegate feedback is always outstanding and we regularly get compliments about the high-quality and approachability of our instructors.
Bucking the industry trend, we also have a number of females on our instruction team.
One of these is Laura Hudson, lead instructor in the survival pool, who has been a professional offshore sea survival instructor for the past 12 years. A recreational scuba diver with strong swimming credentials, Laura is a true water baby who loves inspiring others. She has a mischievous sense of fun and prides herself on putting delegates at ease.
Laura says: “Being in the water is second-nature to me and I relish the practical exercises we put the delegates through. Making the serious subject matter engaging yet enjoyable is something I always aim to do.”
Steve Harrison is one of our senior rigging instructors. He said: “The banter amongst the instructors at AIS is great and we play as hard as we work. Teaching at one of the world’s leading training facilities is a great privilege. I love the diversity of people coming through the doors. Last week I was training a chef, a gym instructor and a call centre worker – all looking to get jobs offshore. It’s great to be able to help these people. I’m happy to go through things again and again and step-by-step with delegates to make sure they fully understand what they need to do to stay safe.”
