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Wind energy careers initiative for schools
14 December
Secondary Schools throughout the Yorkshire region are set to
benefit from an educational initiative announced by Forewind, the
developers of Dogger Bank, the UK’s largest offshore windfarm.
‘Champions for Wind’ is a careers engagement programme which is
being implemented by apprenticeship training and careers
specialists, Humberside Engineering Training Association Ltd
(HETA). The scheme is designed to raise awareness amongst 13
and14 years olds by mapping out the qualifications and career
progression routes students can take to gain employment in the
offshore wind industry.
Initially the programme will establish a network of ten
secondary and special schoolteacher ‘champions’ in schools within
the Yorkshire region who operate in the areas adjacent to
Forewind's first development, Dogger Bank – Creyke Beck.
Dogger Bank – Creyke Beck is the planned connection of the first
tranche of windfarm development into the National Grid at an
existing substation at Creyke Beck, near Cottingham in the East
Riding of Yorkshire.
Once selected the teacher ‘champions’ will develop and deliver a
school curriculum based resource relevant to the career
opportunities being offered by the offshore wind industry. Each
teacher will deliver this curriculum in two or three schools and
will receive a bursary to support their work.
Forewind's General Manager, Lee Clarke said:
“By facilitating careers education for young people in the
Yorkshire area we hope to meet the needs of the local community
whilst at the same time assisting the wind industry by boosting the
number of motivated young people seeking to gain employment in this
type of work.
“The programme has been designed to meet a number of criteria
including: gender balance in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics subjects as well as careers; roundedness of the
industry; pride, a sense of ownership and skills development in the
local area; innovation; providing a vision for the future; building
on any existing programmes ,fostering teacher development, and
having a robust evaluation methodology.”
Alex Richards, Scarborough Borough Council’s Offshore Wind
Project Manager added:
“This is a fantastic and very welcome announcement from
Forewind. We have been working hard with both the offshore industry
and education and skills providers to bring together an aligned and
coherent approach to matching the skill needs of the industry with
our local workforce.
“Projects like this are essential if we are to ensure that
proposed investments in UK waters provide economic benefits on UK
shores. There will be opportunities for schools in our borough and
the North Yorkshire area to directly benefit from this
project.”
Education Links Manager at HETA, Mike Cargill, said:
"'Champions for Wind’ will be a practical programme with input
from Forewind’s owner companies, RWE npower renewables, SSE,
Statoil and Statkraft as well as The Crown Estate and other wind
industry experts to ensure the teachers have access to a wide range
of resources.”
The successful teacher ‘champions’ will be in place in early
January ready for a kick-off seminar in early February. The
teachers will have six months to design the programme specific to
their students before it is implemented, and roll out to other
schools in the catchment area.