A record number of people applied to our vacant positions as plastic welders. This resulted in seven hires, and now four of them are in place.
During the spring, we won several large contracts, including Google, a major land-based aquaculture facility in Finnmark, and, not least, the construction of three closed aquaculture facilities for FishGlobe. This resulted in a great need for more personnel. Since the field of plastics is narrow, we chose this time to open up for the employment of skilled professionals without experience in plastics. This resulted in a record number of applicants.
Four of those who passed through the needle's eye are now in place.
Mats Paetz is a trained carpenter and has worked in the military for 10 years. There, he has set up camps in Afghanistan and Iraq and built temporary camps in connection with large NATO exercises around Norway. Now he is ready to learn the plastics trade and be involved in the construction of FishGlobes and Marine Donuts.
Read more: Will build three FishGlobes – simultaneously
"It's really nice to be here," says Mats, busy cutting plastic sheets.
"It's only day three, so I haven't welded plastic yet. But cutting parts for constructions is familiar, and we use many of the same tools as with wood. The big difference lies in the joining. With wood, you use screws and nails, while plastic is welded together."
Egidijus Steimanas is another carpenter who has "transitioned" to the plastics trade. He is originally from Lithuania but has lived in Stathelle for 18 years. "Egi," as his new colleagues call him, has 25 years of experience in the construction industry, most recently at Seltor.
"I am very happy with the switch. It's nice to learn new things," says Egidijus.
In our plastic workshop, we find the two other new hires. Even André Dalevold is an industrial plumber and has worked with steel for 20 years.
"Plastic is a much more pleasant material to work with," says Even, satisfied. "There is less noise, less dust, and, not least, fewer vibrations. Especially the latter is nice to avoid. And plastic has a much lower weight than steel, making it easier to handle."
Unlike his newly hired colleagues, Tommy Lundgren has experience with plastic. He has worked with plastic welding at Bilfinger and can soon take his trade exam.
"There were several reasons I wanted to move from Bilfinger to Bluegreen," says Tommy. "At Bilfinger, we also work with fiberglass (resin), and I noticed that I was beginning to develop an allergy. Here, we work only with thermoplastics."
"Furthermore, I was attracted to working on larger projects and being able to follow them from start to finish. It sounds very cool to be involved in building large structures like FishGlobe and Marine Donut!"
Are you interested in a job at Bluegreen? Check out our careers page! Or contact Elg.
