Students from Dereham Sixth Form College have been the first to give feedback in the latest round of consultations for the Norfolk Vanguard wind farm.
The college was the first venue to host the consultations on Monday, March 20, and before the public arrived students were able to take part in a one-hour long private feedback session.
The consultation gave them an insight into the short-term and long term-impact the wind farm project might have on the region and the chance to scrutinise the company over how it had considered previous input from the community.
The feedback from the students will be taken into consideration by Vattenfall, the company behind the projects, and featured in follow-up reports.
In the week before the consultation pupils were also given an introduction to both the Norfolk Vanguard and the Boreas wind farm, set to be built in the North Sea, during assemblies.
Local liaison officer, Sue Falch-Lovesey, outlined how both projects might impact the region, including discussing how the students' homes may be affected by planned cable routes and potential employment opportunities that will be created.
One of these potential opportunities is Vattenfall's International Trainee Programme, which will give successful candidates broad experience within all the countries that they operate.
Ms Falch-Lovesey went on to explain how the region stands to benefit from the wind farms and what is involved with setting up the turbines, laying the cables and building the substation.
The introduction ended with students being given the chance to try a virtual reality headset showing them what it would be like to work on one of the offshore wind farms.
Ruari Lean, Project Manager for Norfolk Vanguard, said: 'Vattenfall and the team in Dereham were really encouraged to hear directly from young people in Norfolk and their enthusiasm for off-shore wind and the varied skills involved was very eye-opening for them and they seemed very enthused by members of our team.
'On reflection, those students in five to 10 years' time, when they've completed their training, could have the opportunity to be involved in projects like this. We really welcome any other students to the events we have over the rest of the week and into next.'
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