The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has released the Global Workforce Outlook report for 2022 – 2026, but what key trends and themes can we see?
With Climate change manifesting with more severity than ever before, the global energy crisis has reached a critical point. Transitioning to a renewables-based energy system remains a core priority. Wind energy will remain at the heart of the transition and promises to support the global Net Zero ambitions.
But with such ambitious plans, there has never been a greater demand for trained professionals in the industry. The report estimates that more than half a million trained wind technicians will be needed alone to construct, install, operate, and maintain the world’s rapidly growing wind fleet by 2026.
The report details the integral part recognisable safety training will play in increasing the competence and safety of the workforce and fostering increased workforce mobility. The ability to transfer safety training certificates across companies and countries will be a key enabler of industry scalability and international growth.
From 2019 to 2022, the number of Wind Technicians worldwide with an active GWO certificate in one of the following: Working at Heights, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, and First Aid, almost doubled from around 79,000 to around 139,000. These figures signal strong demand for GWO safety training.
Global wind installed capacity is estimated to grow by 67% from 837GW in 2021 to 1,394GW by 2026. This influx in demand is a significant opportunity for training providers and educators to level up the delivery of skilled personnel training. However, the report noted that local content will be significant in the completion of new sites, with beneficial effects on the upskilling of locally trained workforces.
The forecasts included in the report offer a guide as to the number of technicians required to support the growth of the global wind market. What is clear, is that the global wind workforce is at the epicentre of the world’s Net Zero ambitions.
Although the report did not mention the UK as a target area for wind energy developments, other regions will rely heavily on the UK’s wind workforce. The UK currently has the most established wind workforce globally. Individuals will be deployed from UK shores to support small, medium, and large-scale projects to assist with reaching global initiatives.
In early October, we attended the GWO’s Safety & Training Forum in Copenhagen, where we learned about a brand-new GWO Entry Level Wind Technician Framework. As part of the framework development, the GWO enlisted the help of GWO members including Siemens Gamesa.
The framework, developed in response to demand from GWO members, was established to provide a transparent and valid set of knowledge, skills, and abilities for identified entry-level technician jobs in the wind industry.
Under the framework, there will be three clear pathways to enter the wind industry: pre-assembly, installation, and service (operations and maintenance). The framework recognises a person’s existing skills and guides them towards the appropriate training for the different job profiles of wind technicians. Version 1 of the framework launched on 1 October 2022.
The creation of future opportunities alongside the ongoing development and enhancement of the current workforce will be critical to the success of the global wind industry in the coming years.
