Dogger Bank Wind Farm welcomes local apprentices to its Operations and Maintenance Base
To mark national apprenticeship week, Dogger Bank Wind farm welcomed Newcastle College students to its operations and maintenance base this week. The visit was an opportunity to promote careers in offshore wind and share an overview of the world’s largest offshore windfarm under construction.
The apprentices got to see first-hand the state-of-the-art facilities that were recently constructed in South Tyneside. The new operations and maintenance O&M base was constructed and will be operated in line with the UK Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework, demonstrating the sustainable ethos of the project running right through to operations.
Over 400 long terms roles have been created locally to support the operations and maintenance of the windfarm. The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn. SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.
The students are studying level 2 Engineering Operative apprenticeships, with three of the apprentices currently receiving funding from operator Equinor, as part of its apprenticeship levy transfer announced in 2022 focusing on Engineering as a local skills gap.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager for Equinor, said:
“We are delighted to host Apprentices at our facility in South Tyneside along with our strategic partner, Newcastle College. Offshore Wind provides a fantastic career opportunity for young people and Apprenticeships are one of the best ways to develop skills in many relevant areas from Engineering, to Technical roles to Developing Business skills. We look forward to continuing to support Apprenticeships through the project for many years to come.”
In June 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm unveiled plans for a £1 million construction fund to support the coastal communities where its onshore infrastructure is being developed. The programme includes a significant investment in science, technology, engineering, and maths, as well as scholarships and an operators fund to support local causes.
ENDS
Picture caption: Newcastle College students visit Dogger Bank operations and maintenance base in Port of Tyne.