ESP’s Director, Jim Brown has been elected new Chair of RenewableUK’s Skills & Employment Strategy Group (SESG) that represents industry and provides leadership in addressing skills gaps in the Wind and Marine sector.
College staff from the Wind and Marine Training Network along with representatives from Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise attended a study visit to Siemens training centre in Newcastle. The study visit also included a visit to the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult at the National Renewable Energy Centre.
On Wednesday 21 January hundreds of students from Scotland’s colleges met with major energy sector employers.
Working with Strathclyde University ESP will be developing a regional resource matrix for Scotland to identify current capability and capacity and ascertain where there are advanced manufacturing gaps and how to address these.
ESP are working with partners in France (Normandy) and Norway to work with companies across the three countries to design and pilot 3 Wind and Marine Renewables modules. The modules created will be introduced into the college programme and offered to companies as CPD courses.
The Energy Skills Partnership, working in partnership with SNIPEF and Skills Development Scotland, have secured additional funding to support year 3 & 4 Plumbing Modern Apprentices following the Gas route for session 2014/15 to complete an additional award (F9HD 04: Emergent Technologies Combined Option). Employers of SNIPEF training plumbing apprentices are asked to contact their local college or SNIPEF for further information.
ESP have supported RenewableUK ‘s Renewable Training Network to develop new training courses in wind turbine blade repair and inspection which was unveiled earlier in September and will officially be launched at RUK’s Conference in Manchester 12 November.
Scottish Power Renewables’ Harestanes windfarm was officially opened on 1 July 2014. This project was a key driver in the development of two new wind turbine technician courses at Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire Colleges. The courses have been developed with funding and support from Scottish Power Renewables and Energy Skills Partnership. News clip