21 Nov 2019
Supporting the next generation of renewable energy engineers
According to an Energy and Utility Skills report, there are not enough students studying relevant STEM subjects at A Level and University level in the UK to meet the demand of new roles in renewable energy, while analysis of current Apprenticeships relevant to the industry also shows a shortfall.
The offshore wind sector alone is likely to see a 260% increase in jobs by 2032. In addition, the report suggests that in the next five years there will be 600,000 positions which will need replacing due to staff retirement; there are simply not enough young graduates entering the field to replace them. It is therefore important for our sector to do what we can to inspire more people to pursue careers in renewable energy.
So, on 4 November we were particularly pleased to welcome a group of engineering students from the University of Bristol to Avonmouth, to give them a behind the scenes look at an operational onshore wind farm. We also wanted to provide some insight into what skills go into developing renewable energy projects and careers options available.
Operations Manager, Adrian, talked to the students about each stage of development, from financing the project and gaining planning permission, to construction and operations. Many of the students had not visited a wind farm before and enjoyed learning more about the turbines.
“I’m interested in renewable energy because it is the way forward for supplying energy to the world, with lots of new technology and new ways of thinking about solving the problems of making power. I think what I’ve learnt today is all very interesting and generally finding out more about how wind turbines work. Because when you see them around you think – ahh yeah they just spin and make electricity – but learning more about the finer details about how they work is quite cool.”