A dramatically scaled-up workforce is needed to build and operate the pipeline of new offshore wind farms. The headcount needs to hit 100,000 by 2030.
As the east of England celebrates Wind Week 2022, which runs until October 28, Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone developer Vattenfall is working to inspire future workers through a range of skills work.
The company is offering its support in a number of ways, from working with a primary school to create a forest school and helping sixth formers to deliver pioneering 3D workshops, to creating real-life experiences for young people and new careers for former military personnel.
“Working with Vattenfall has completely opened my eyes. I had no idea that the wind industry was this large and there were so many options,” said Megan Swafford, who spent the third year of her University of East Anglia course with the Vattenfall Norfolk Zone team.
“It is definitely the most valuable decision I have ever made.”
Now in her final year, Megan, who came to Norfolk from California to study environmental sciences, continues to work with Vattenfall on her dissertation, which she hopes will lead to a career, and possibly a PhD, in wind.
Her placement year with the Norfolk team was a “dive into the deep end of the world of offshore wind energy,” she said.
Working with much younger students is as important to Vattenfall. Necton Primary School has just launched its Forest School with Vattenfall’s help.
Head teacher Vicki Long said it had been “revolutionary.”
“Vattenfall kindly sponsored two teachers on a four-session course with the Eden Project's education team to develop outdoor learning.
“Vattenfall is something that the children will hear about. The concept of wind farm energy and understanding it is important to us. For children here, it may be a career they turn to. It is important they get a balanced perspective in terms of their lives and wind’s place in the wider energy world.”
Vattenfall is now rolling out its successful 3D virtual reality workshop to schools, colleges and community groups across Norfolk.
Shaped by a partnership with University Technical College Norfolk, the workshop for Year 11 and 12 students mixes peer mentoring, groupwork, technical design, maths and presentation skills while learning about wind energy.
Vattenfall is celebrating its first UEA ‘sandwich year’ student, Angus Binnian, now working as a cable integrity engineer with the company, being shortlisted for this month’s RenewableUK's Global Offshore Wind 'Aspiring Leader' award.
Angus met Vattenfall in his first year and supported skills events, including Norwich Science Festival, throughout his university years, working with the Norfolk Zone team for his final year dissertation about submarine cable systems.
During his year with the team, he felt “just like any Vattenfall employee,” travelling to Vattenfall’s centres in Amsterdam and Hamburg, working on development projects with new and emerging technologies.
“It gave me a great sense of purpose – like I was working at the forefront of energy innovation and actively contributing to tackling the climate crisis,” he said.”
This summer, sixth formers Thomas White and Joe Bates had a taste of working with Vattenfall on a month-long internship to design new GCSE geography study material to replace outdated content.
A-level students at University Technical College Norfolk created a textbook and flip-card style revision material to reflect the increasing importance of offshore wind to the UK, mentored by UEA geography graduate Will Sealey, now Norfolk Zone community liaison officer.
Other Vattenfall skills work this year includes:
- A STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) event at East Coast College’s £11.7m Energy Skills Centre in Lowestoft for 70 Norfolk and Suffolk students.
- Sponsoring and setting a project for GCSE students to spend a week at the UEA’s Productivity East experiencing university life.
- Sponsoring a summer school for more than 60 young people to build an electric plane to transport medics and supplies in the developing world for charity Nuncats at Norwich Airport.
If your school, college or local group would like to know more about the programme, please get in touch at norfolk@vattenfall.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here