[ad_1]
Multi-billion pound offshore wind investments in the east of England can only be made with enough highly qualified people. Today we focus on how the East of England is setting the standard as a center of excellence in training, developing a local workforce to embrace the energy transition.
With over 10% of the 69,000 planned offshore wind jobs in the UK by 2026 being located in the east of England, the region has been visionary in working with developers, supply chain, colleges , schools and universities to shape and deliver the right training and people to fill the roles.
Mapping future jobs and training local talent to build, operate and maintain existing and future offshore wind power for decades to keep the region ahead.
Each wind farm workforce can have over 100 different job titles, with many other supporting roles in the supply chain. In addition to the more obvious electrical and mechanical engineers and turbine technicians, roles include project managers, software designers, component manufacturers, logistics experts, welders, drone operators, flight crews. boats, marine biologists and environmental scientists. There are also helicopter pilots, surveyors, data analysts and digital specialists in onshore and offshore roles.
With a planned private investment of £ 60bn in UK offshore wind power over the next five years – £ 10.1bn per year – specialist training centers of excellence meet EU standards industry have been built over the past three years, including the £ 11.6million Energy Skills Center at East Coast College, Lowestoft, and its Offshore Wind Skills Center in Great Yarmouth, Productivity East at the University East Anglia and the £ 8million STEM Innovation Campus at West Suffolk College, all supported by the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.
The standard is set by pioneering industry-education partnerships, like Danish giant Maersk Training, which works with East Coast College to deliver Global Wind Organization (GWO) courses. The college’s maritime courses utilize state-of-the-art ship deck simulation suites, marine emergency response suites, and sea survival training in its world-renowned survival pool.
The region’s vast oil and gas workforce brings a wealth of offshore expertise as they make their own energy transition to offshore wind.
And the 15,000 highly skilled people who leave the Armed Forces each year are a critical resource bringing relevant skills, attitude and experience. Increasingly, companies are committing to respect the Armed Forces Convention to employ veterans.
An exterior view of the new £ 11.6million Energy Skills Center, located next to Lowestoft Sixth Form College on Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft
– Credit: East Coast College
The Skills for Energy program, managed by the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), has a long history of working with industry and educators to create an unparalleled skills infrastructure to support the acceleration of the industry, with programs for young and old people changing careers.
Apprenticeship programs are an area of ​​growth, accounting for 1.8% of the workforce, with the industry committing to reach 2.5% as soon as possible.
Celia Anderson, Norfolk’s director of human resources and skills for the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, said the industry was working closely with the government to ensure that the right training and support is in place.
“For example, we are developing an offshore energy passport system to ensure that all parts of the energy sector recognize transferable skills and training, to enable offshore workers to seamlessly switch from renewables to other technologies.
Ian Pease, from GENERATE, said the East of England is home to a host of ambitious skills-driven companies, like Hexis Training, which is part of the Great Yarmouth-based Stowen Group, which runs a training, assessment and standardized qualifications in the onshore wind industry. and off.
Denise Hone, Head of Training and Development, said: “Hexis has invested £ 250,000 in development and equipment over the past few months to focus on new training.
The acquisition of the company by STAR capital in early October will lead to further investment in the Lowestoft center to become one of the group’s centers of excellence, she said.
Four new regulatory inspection and maintenance standards have been developed and will be piloted in November at the Lowestoft Energy Skills Center, addressing capabilities where there is no standardized training and skills assessment.
For more information, please visit www.eeegr.com
[ad_2]
