In 2018, Darren Hoadley worked as an Offshore Wind Turbine Technician for Siemens Gamesa until a tragic and life-changing accident sadly resulted in the loss of his arm. The accident, which tore his arm off completely, left Darren with no mobility or functionality in the small part of the limb that remained. Heartbreakingly, this meant Darren could no longer work in the offshore wind industry.
Darren felt as though the accident had removed part of his identity. “For a long time, I felt as though part of my identity was missing,” he said. “This haunted me for a while, and I struggled with the uncertainty that flooded my future.”
If Darren would ever return to the renewables industry, he had a long road of recovery and rehabilitation ahead of him – a challenge that he was ready for. In 2019, Darren began working again but with limited duties. For Darren to be able to return to his former job, he needed to be fitted with a prosthetic arm, a process which he began in 2020-21.
In 2021, Darren reached a point in his journey where he felt he had the confidence to explore the possibility of retraining – an idea he was keen to discuss with his employer. Darren’s line manager and the training team at Siemens Gamesa agreed they wanted to support Darren and reached out to Complete Training Solutions (CTS) to begin the initial conversations on how GWO training would look for Darren.
