WJA Awards 2026 – How water jetting is giving Jack Kinghorn a promising start in life
When Jack Kinghorn, the WJA Awards Operative of the Year, left school aged 17 he didn’t put his feet up. He tried his hand at a lot of jobs – landscape gardening, catering, he even set up a TikTok shop making videos.
He later moved into sales and marketing and did some travelling, volunteering in hostels to earn his keep. But, all the work opportunities he tried turned out to be temporary, and not wholly fulfilling.
Then, aged 21, Jack was taken on by WJA member Sureclean in Aberdeen, North East Scotland, as a trainee water jetting operative.
And, to coin a phrase, he has taken to it like a duck to water: delivered at pressures up to 2,760 bar (40,000 psi).
‘Rising star’ at off-shore specialist Sureclean
Less than one year later, aged 22, he has been named Operative of the Year in the inaugural WJA Awards, thanks to votes cast by WJA members across the UK.
Sureclean’s nomination cited Jack’s dedication to learning and teamwork: “Jack is a rising star within Sureclean. Brand new to the offshore industry, he has earned the respect of his peers and supervisors already, through sheer hard work and an outstanding attitude.”
Jack says: “I was shocked when I won. First I was named in the final three. Then, the final two, then I had won it! To be recognised for my work in front of a room full of such experienced and successful water jetting professionals was very unexpected, and very special.”
WJA members had selected a worthy winner, says WJA Director Leanne Smith: “Jack’s approach to his work is outstanding.
“He’s shown that through hard work, setting standards, and being willing to learn from experienced work colleagues, you can look forward to a good career in water jetting. I commend Sureclean for giving Jack the support he’s needed to thrive in our industry.”
WJA training – essential to Jack’s new role
Sureclean delivers cleaning and radiation decontamination services for the off-shore oil and gas industry, plus abrasive water jetting cold-cutting and industrial cleaning.
Its teams use water jetting at a full range of pressures to work on thousands of items of product pipe and equipment a year, both at their Aberdeen base and off-shore, on production and exploration rigs.
The company has put Jack through its standard water jetting operative training programme. This includes the WJA Safety Awareness course, plus three WJA Practical Modules: Drain and Sewer, Surface Preparation, and Tube and Pipe – all accredited by City & Guilds. He has also passed his High Risk Confined Space Training.
Reece Gibb, Projects Performance Lead at Sureclean, said: “Jack has been brilliant from the day he joined is. He’s proactive, will try his hand to anything and is also very willing to learn.
“He asks lots of good questions, and listens to more experienced colleagues, which has earned their trust and respect. He also sets his own high standards, which is being recognised by customers.
“His quick progress means he’s already had opportunities to work off-shore and abroad. We always want to encourage more young people into our industry. Jack shows what can be achieved with the right talents and application.”
UHP water jetting – ‘very rewarding work’
Jack works in the decontamination team at Sureclean. Wearing full UHP water jetting PPE and a respirator, he uses hand lances and tube cleaning jetting equipment to remove scale and other residues from drill pipe casings, heat exchangers and tube bundles, valves, pipe and wellhead spools, plus other assets.
The process is also used to remove NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material) brought to the surface from strata hundreds of metres beneath the sea bed during drilling, and oil and gas production.
This needs to be done before the pipes and equipment are either sent for recycling – drilling pipes are often used in building foundations – or returned to offshore platforms for reuse.
Jack says: “The work is dirty and has been hard, especially with this summer’s heatwaves. We have to take regular hydration breaks. But I find it very rewarding. It’s good to see what can be achieved through water jetting, and I’ve enjoyed learning and applying a new craft that requires exacting standards.
“My colleagues have been very supportive and I’m earning much more than I could in most other jobs for someone my age. My younger brother is amazed, he says I’ve discovered a young person’s life hack that others could take advantage of.
“This job is giving me a start in life. It’s allowed me to rent my own home and I’ve got ideas about how I want to build my experience at Sureclean and progress in the water jetting industry.
“I’d recommend this job to other young people, for sure. They just need to be prepared to graft and keep learning.”
Find out more about WJA membership
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Telephone: +44 (0) 208 320 1090
Email: info@waterjetting.org.uk
