Global Wind Energy Council report highlights industry staffing needs

A recent report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Global Wind Organisation (GWO) found that over 77,000 trained on-site workers will be required to deliver 31 GW of forecast installations in six target markets from 2020-2024.

The report, Powering the Future: Global Offshore Wind Workforce Outlook 2020-2024, analyses the workforce training needs required to fulfil offshore market forecasts in North America, China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea.

The research determined that 2.5 persons per MW per project are needed to deliver the 31 GW forecast for these six markets.

Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC, said: “The offshore wind industry is growing exponentially and there is no doubt that it will become a major driver of the energy transition across the world, with GWEC Market Intelligence forecasting 51 GW of new offshore installations globally by 2024.

“The appetite for offshore wind is strong with investors and policymakers alike as more and more ambitious targets are put in place, but we need a trained workforce ready to realise these goals.”

Jakob Lau Holst, CEO at GWO, added: “Having a GWO trained workforce is often the missing piece of the puzzle when considering a new offshore wind project in any given market, but this should be seen as a top priority in nascent markets to secure their long-term growth and create thousands of local jobs.

“The offshore wind industry needs to be a leader in health and safety to attract the best talent and ensure the sustainability of the workforce, having standardised training is the most effective way to accomplish this.”

Key bottlenecks identified in the report for training include lack of training centres, standard familiarity, and risk of training standards being perceived as “imposed.”

The GWEC does not expect the COVID-19 crisis to have a major impact on installation volume in the offshore markets discussed in the report over the forecast period.

Source: Offshore Magazine