Expansion of off-shore Wind Farms opens up new opportunities for Engineers

Britain’s windy weather is bringing good news for engineers ambitious to transfer into the renewable energy market – as up to 70,000 new jobs are to be created in off-shore wind farms.

Lord Hunt, Energy and Climate Change Minister, on announcing the third round of leasing the UK’s waters for off-shore wind farms, said it was a “huge opportunity for the UK industry”.

Off-shore wind farms could supply up to one-quarter of the UK’s electricity needs, according to the Government, which is also tendering for £15 billion of new cabling to connect them.

And skilled engineers from more traditional sectors who have transferable skills will be well-placed to make the most of these new opportunities, according to leading engineering recruitment consultancy ATA Energy.

“Experienced engineers looking to transfer out of sectors which have been heavily hit by the recession could find a bright future by retraining for the renewable energy market,” said Gary Hewett, Managing Director of ATA Energy.

“The news that the Government believes that up to 25 GW of electricity generation could eventually be produced by off-shore wind farms in UK waters is very welcome indeed.”

“At ATA Energy has not only developed expertise in being able to identify those engineers who have the correct skills and attitudes to successfully transfer from one sector to another, but  through their  sister company Catalis, ATA Energy is able to offer the necessary training to make this transition easier .”

The announcement was made at the British Wind Energy Association conference, where Lord Hunt said off-shore wind was fundamental to the UK’s target of renewable energies providing 15 per cent of Britain’s needs by 2020.

Lord Hunt said: “We’re already the world’s number one source of offshore wind power. With the right support, we can grow the industry even further, supporting tens of thousands of high value, green manufacturing jobs. This presents a huge opportunity for the UK Industry.”

ATA Energy, part of RTC Group Plc, specialises in placing engineering, technical, health & safety and managerial staff in both the traditional and emerging green energy markets, and is currently dealing with the leading companies in those fields, not just the wind industry companies.

Mr Hewett said: “We are constantly  inundated with firms looking for individuals with the specialist skills essential within the renewable energy industry and, as it is an emerging market, there will continue to be a shortage of people who have trained specifically in that field.”

“This has created opportunities for ambitious engineers with backgrounds in engineering sectors that have stagnated or declined, to reassess their careers and move into the renewable energy sector.

“With up to 70,000 jobs being anticipated due to the expansion of wind farms alone, there is plenty of incentive for engineers to look at their transferable skills and consider joining the drive to cut the UK’s carbon emissions.”