TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Students from the Amsterdam’s MBO College Airport undergoing specialist sea survival skills training their offshore wind skills exchange in the Environmental Survival Tank at East Coast College. Credit: East Coast College
Denise Hone, Senior Stakeholder and Community Engagement Manager for Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, said: “Partnerships like this are really important for Vattenfall and the offshore wind industry, and are also great for students here in the east of England and in Holland, helping them get experience and a head start in our exciting industry.
“The east of England is changing the world in a green energy revolution with billions of pounds being invested in the sea between the two colleges in England and the Netherlands. As we move into construction of our Norfolk Wind Zone, we need local people to work on our project so this is a great opportunity for local students to get involved.
“It’s fantastic that East Coast College is at the heart of offshore wind training. The students have gone back to Holland with Global Wind Organisation (GWO) training, which is the gateway to work offshore.”
Rene de Moor, a Blade Repair Tutor at the Amsterdam college, said: “The two weeks have been wonderful - more than I expected and a great experience for students to go abroad and learn from experts. It is a win-win situation for us all.”
The college’s facilities – its environmental survival tank, ship’s bridge simulator,
turbine lift simulator and working at height equipment – were “overwhelming,” he said. “The exchange is a win-win situation.”
Gijs Thieme, 21, an Electrical Engineering Student from Amsterdam, plans to combine his love of climbing with a future career by scaling 100m long blades out at sea as a blade repair technician.
“It has been amazing. I have learned so much about safety offshore, turbines and how they operate, and first aid skills.”
Vattenfall’s design and build a virtual offshore wind farm workshop had been “very valuable to learn about how the process, all the considerations and the calculations to make wind farms profitable.”
Rachel Bunn, East Coast College Director of Commercial and Community Projects, said drone and robotics skills training were being explored for future exchanges.
“The exchange is about opening students’ eyes to the ‘What If?’ and ‘I Can’. This pilot project proved that ECC is at the forefront of training, locally, regionally and internationally. We will be working with the same college moving forward with different cohorts but also rolling it out to other international providers.”
Engineering and aviation students from Amsterdam’s MBO College Airport get ready to take the plunge into East Coast College’s Environmental Survival Tank for specialist offshore wind skills training. Credit: East Coast College
“It shows what can be done to benefit individuals and the industry when a developer like Vattenfall, supply chain company, Hexis, and a college work together. It is not only about training for the future workforce, but also about integrating different groups of students and different cultures, especially as they will be working in an international workforce with opportunities across the world.”
Offshore Skills Tutors Dave Carter and Jason Bull, from leading training provider Hexis based at ECC, delivered the students’ training.
The new partnership supports offshore wind industry targets to employ 100,000 people in the UK alone by 2030.
March 2023
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