ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE KENT
SCHOOLS WIND ENERGY ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE
ADDRESSING THE WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY SKILLS GAP It is now very apparent that there exists a skills gap within our industry, which is only going to get worse unless it is addressed urgently.
As we see it there are 4 main areas to focus on if we are to satisfy that need – excluding the considerable detail behind these stated areas for the time being, those are...
• Schools – student engagement and awareness at the early stages of career development (ages 14 onwards)
• Schools’ 6th Form /further education – schools/colleges
• Engineering and science graduate attraction – universities
• Mature experienced individuals from other relevant energy industries/ sources e.g. oil & gas industry/forces etc
We plan a major feature in a forthcoming edition to highlight each of these areas, however for the time being we report on an ongoing innovative initiative, which is related to the second bullet point above and acts as an introduction to what can be achieved.
One of the many very interesting presentations given at the Quo Vadis conference in Belfast in 2011 was an initiative by Kent County Council regarding the engagement of young people in renewable energy.
With the London Array Offshore wind farm, Thanet Offshore wind farm, Kentish Flats wind farm, and the Vestas option to buy land at Sheerness to manufacture turbines, Kent is ideally suited to benefit from the economic regeneration opportunities provided by the wind energy sector.
SKILLS STRATEGY To exploit these opportunities, Kent must ensure that it develops the skills that are required to service this sector. Kent County Council has recognised this within its Skills Strategy for the wind farm manufacturing, construction, operations and maintenance sector. Central to this strategy is the development of skills, knowledge and interest in wind energy in the young people of Kent.
SWALE SKILL CENTRE AND DONG ENERGY Kent County Council has supported the development of the Swale Skill Centre in Sittingbourne. In the last two years the
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
Consortium was created to co-ordinate the training offer to the wind farm sector but also has a wide remit to promote engineering in general.
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP AND CREATING AWARENESS Working in partnership with the centre and employers, the purpose of the Wind Energy Enterprise Challenge was to promote the wind farm manufacturing, construction, operations and maintenance sector to Year 12 students in schools who were studying physics, maths and engineering options. The masterclass would raise awareness of the sector to students who might otherwise be unaware of the opportunities that it can provide for careers in Kent.
Centre has specialised in sustainable technologies, particularly wind farm operation and maintenance. With the support of Danish Oil and Natural Gas (DONG Energy), 9 apprentices have been recruited to a new 3 year (Level 3) apprenticeship in Electrical Power Engineering: Wind Turbine Operations and Maintenance.
KENT SCHOOLS WIND ENERGY ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE
PURPOSE Industry and Education, in partnership, to provide young people with a unique opportunity to raise aspirations and develop understanding of the renewable energy sector
Image courtesy of DONG Energy.
The Centre is one of the founding members of a sustainable technologies consortium involving a number of training providers across North Kent. The
Parents of a pupil who participated in the Challenge
“This challenge has been one of the only times our son has ever spoken about school work to us. He was so enthusiastic about the challenge that we couldn’t stop him talking about it.”
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