DONG Energy Opens Call for Offshore Wind Apprenticeships in Grimsby

DONG Energy has partnered with the Grimsby Institute to offer new offshore wind turbine technician apprenticeships.

The new three-year apprenticeships will comprise of one year of classroom based learning at the Grimsby Institute followed by two years working on site with DONG. The students will be taught in a new virtual training centre opened by the Grimsby Institute this year.

A minimum of four apprenticeships will be available and the application process opens on Monday, 19 June. The new apprentices will start in September 2017.

The apprentices will study as a maintenance & operations engineering technician (MOET) with an emphasis on turbine technology. They will undertake a BTEC Level 3 in Engineering, and if they successfully complete the programme will become full-time employees at DONG.

“Our new operations hub being built in the Grimsby Royal Dock will help maintain our offshore wind projects in the North Sea, and we want local people with relevant skills to work out of the hub and benefit from a highly rewarding job in a fantastic industry,” Duncan Clark, Programme Director for Hornsea Project One Offshore Wind Farm at DONG Energy, said.

“Apprenticeships are a great way to learn on the job and the Grimsby Institute is a state-of-the art facility. We believe this scheme will provide a very attractive opportunity to become a fully qualified wind turbine technician. These roles are exciting and varied – not every job can offer a breath-taking view of the UK coastline!”

A wind turbine technician is part of a team responsible for ensuring an offshore wind farm continues to operate successfully for its lifetime, planned to be more than 20 years. The main function of the role is to carry out a variety of manual tasks and fault diagnostics to ensure the wind turbines are working reliably and at maximum efficiency. The work is carried out at sea fixing complex machinery and the turbines can be over 100 meters in height from sea level so the ability to work at height is essential.

Transport to the turbines is via sea vessel or helicopter so being comfortable with air and sea travel is also necessary.

“Grimsby is home to the wind energy industry and it’s excellent news for the town that the Institute has been selected by DONG Energy to provide the skills, knowledge and key employability skills the apprentices will develop in their first year,” Gill Alton, Chief Executive of the Grimsby Institute, said.

”We have invested significantly over the last few years in providing state-of-the-art education and training facilities which will enable the apprentices to learn in realistic working environments. I am looking forward to a long and successful partnership with DONG Energy which will provide outstanding opportunities for people from the area.”

DONG Energy is exploring the possibility of expanding its apprenticeship scheme further in the future, potentially into other regions where it operates including Liverpool and Barrow.