1st December 2023 in Community News
An award-winning collaboration between Dogger Bank Wind Farm, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and specialist education providers is celebrating two years of helping young people to prepare for life in a net zero world.
The partnership was unveiled in summer 2021, as part of a £1milllion package of investment in the wind farm’s key communities during its construction.
The wind farm project worked with education providers in East Riding of Yorkshire, Redcar & Cleveland and South Tyneside, to understand how young people in each area could be benefit from investment in enhanced science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) provision.
Education experts at East Riding of Yorkshire Council created a bespoke programme that would provide access for hundreds of teachers across primary schools and maintained early years settings and will reach many thousands of children over the life of the programme.
Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:
“The funding from Dogger Bank Wind Farm is helping us to transform science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers learning in our primaries and maintained early years settings, with new opportunities delivered by external delivery partners.
“This includes STEM-focused professional development for staff and a chance for schools and nurseries to work towards a science quality mark, which is a pioneering step for early years settings. There are still opportunities for teachers to take advantage of this award-winning partnership as we work together to raise aspirations and bring STEM to life.”
The innovative investment programme was recognised at the Humber Renewable Awards earlier this year, in the Renewable Education category. Find out more about this achievement here.
Community investment Manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Lindsay Dougan, said:
“The East Riding programme provides an exemplar on how education and business can work together to ensure that children gain the skills needed for the jobs of the future.
“We appreciate the dedication of the schools and education providers in ensuring excellence STEM learning occurs across the region.
“The approach taken from this project has influenced communities across the globe on how to embed renewable energy and STEM into education including sharing learning with Australia and Japan.”
The East Riding programme is delivered in partnership with specialist providers, Complete Careers, Stem Learning and PSQM (Primary Science Quality Mark), who underpin and support professional development for teachers.
Image caption: Hornsea Nursey is one of the maintained early years settings in East Riding to take advantage of the STEM investment by Dogger Bank Wind Farm
20th November 2023 in Community News
A campaign funded by the Dogger Bank Community Fund, encouraging young South Tyneside women to pursue science, tech, engineering and maths (STEM)-related careers has been hailed a major success.
Over the last two years, the STEMettes Leadership Academy has helped 71 women in South Tyneside aged 15-24 develop their leadership skills and learn more about STEM careers.
The hosting of the programme coincided with the tenth anniversary of STEMettes, the national charity which was founded in 2013.
Since then, over 50,000 women across the UK have participated in its events, with young women from South Tyneside among the latest to join its inspired alumni.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, CEO, Head of Stemette & Co-Founder Stemettes said:
“Stemettes partnership with South Tyneside has opened up future leaders & innovators in young women and non-binary folk from across the South Tyneside area.
“They’ve had a STEAM & STEM confidence boost towards their potential and have conected with role models and peers for career advice. We’ve seen lots of skill building and problem solving on climate change for South Tyneside and beyond across our collaboration.”
Led by South Tyneside Council in partnership with the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the South Tyneside programme was aimed to ‘raise the aspiration and confidence of young women’ across the borough.
A total of 45 young women from Jarrow School, Harton Academy and St Joseph’s Academy participated in the programme, as well as 26 young women from Nissan and local colleges.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm said:
“The STEMettes programme by South Tyneside is an invaluable initiative that Dogger Bank Wind Farm is proud to support.
“Our aim is to not only motivate, but also empower the youth in this region to explore and excel in STEM fields, unlocking opportunities in industries like the dynamic offshore wind industry.
“With the North East England being a prominent cluster for offshore wind, we are eager to showcase the endless possibilities to the next generation of leaders in the energy sector.
Cllr Jane Carter Lead Member for Education and Skills at South Tyneside Council, added:
“It is vital that we encourage our young women to harness STEM skills.
“By taking advantage of these opportunities, they now have the knowledge, skills and aspiration to become the leaders and innovators of the future.
“I’d like to place on record my thanks to the business community for their involvement with this outstanding programme.”
One of the young women to participate in the programme was Emily Booth, a Year 11 student from St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, said:
“I was very lucky being able to attend a Stemette’s event. It allowed me to gain advice from inspiring and influential women from the North East, learn new skills in coding as well as an understanding of the job opportunities available to women in STEM. It was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
For more information on STEMettes, visit: https://stemettes.org/
9th November 2023 in Operations, Press releases
- Three new apprentices join Dogger Bank Wind Farm
- Apprenticeship training for future wind farm turbine technicians started for the first time
- Represents a contribution to skills training and technical education in the UK offshore wind industry
Three new apprentices have started their training with Dogger Bank Wind Farm, based from the operations and maintenance base in South Tyneside, North East England. The apprentices are starting their training in a variety of roles, including electrical engineering and warehouse logistics.
Over the next two years, the three apprentices will be fully immersed in the operations, maintenance, and logistics of the wind farm, all while gaining the skills required for a career in the renewables sector. Each will also gain a professional qualification in their respective field.
Two apprentices will learn the skills needed to maintain the giant 260 meter tall turbines featured on the wind farm, which are located in the North Sea, more than 130km from the North East coastline, gaining a L3 MOET qualification and a foundation degree in engineering. This will include high voltage training, addressing a future skill gap and enabling the apprentices to support the first UK High Voltage Direct Current connected offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank.
Bridie Gallagher, 18, has started an apprenticeship in electrical engineering, where she will gain knowledge of the operations and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. She said “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and work in the renewable energy industry, right from my hometown in South Shields. Being part of the team working on the largest offshore wind farm in the world is incredibly exciting.”
Another new starter, Jamie Edwards, age 18, started an apprenticeship in wind operations maintenance and logistics, where he will be a part of the team responsible for supplying essential components to the wind farm. He said “I was drawn to the idea of pursuing an apprenticeship because I wanted a hands-on learning experience, making this opportunity perfect for me. I am eager to begin working alongside the team and pursuing my qualifications.”
Over 2,000 jobs have been created or supported so far in the UK in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm, including400 long-term roles created in association with the wind farm’s operations base in South Shields, England.
Mark Halliday, Operations Director at Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said: “Apprenticeships will play a crucial role in the long-term success and operation of our wind farm”
“We are committed to providing early career development opportunities. Apprenticeships offer a mutually beneficial pathway for both us and the apprentices, as they gain specialised skills and competencies that enhance their career prospects. By investing in apprenticeships, we also benefit from having highly skilled and motivated employees who can work on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm across its planned 35-year lifespan.”
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is proud to be supporting and developing talent within the industry. For more information about opportunities at Dogger Bank can be found here: https://doggerbank.com/recruitment/
1st November 2023 in Construction, Press releases, Project news, Supply Chain
Boston Energy has secured a contract with Ge Vernova to provide mechanical and electrical expertise during the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The East Riding of Yorkshire-headquartered firm will undertake onshore commissioning and completion work at Able Seaton in Hartlepool, as well as offshore mechanical and electrical (M&E) completion and offshore commissioning.
The work will involve more than 190 UK based personnel at its peak, and represents Boston’s largest ever single award in offshore wind.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm Commercial Director, Simon Bailey, said:
“It’s great to see another key contractor creating job opportunities to support the construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Construction and commissioning of turbine technology is a critical element of our programme that will help us to steadily ramp up to full operating capacity of 3.6GW by 2026.”
Nathan Fahey, Project Director at GE Vernova, said:
“We have been working with Boston Energy since the contract award for offshore commissioning of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm and I’m really pleased to have them as a trusted partner as we move into the operational phase of the project.
“I trust the team will deliver the expected results, at the quality and execution standards we want to provide to our customer.
“We are very much looking forward to working with Boston Energy to help us deliver this fantastic project utilising our Haliade-X turbines. Delivering this project will significantly enhance the UK’s net zero ambitions and help make a substantial dent in CO2 emissions.”
Julian Cattermole, CEO of Boston Energy, said:
“We’re thrilled that GE Vernova have entrusted us to deliver the onshore and offshore commissioning of this truly exciting, and transformative project.
“GE has recognised that Boston Energy has a very strong track record of delivering exceptional quality on its projects as well as ensuring it delivers to budget and to the highest safety and environmental standards.
“We now need to get on and deliver to those same exacting standards that GE Vernova expects.”
To demonstrate its commitment to local content, Boston Energy has employed 80 per cent of its offshore team and 85 per cent of its onshore team from the North East of England, where pre construction activities are taking place.
26th October 2023 in Operations, Project news, Supply Chain
The second of North Star’s new offshore wind fleet, the Grampian Derwent, has been delivered ahead of schedule to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.
The vessel was named at a ceremony at the Dogger Bank Operations and Maintenance Base at the Port of Tyne in the South Shields, England, where Sophie Banham and Emma Simpson, successfully performed the good luck ritual of smashing a champagne bottle against the ship’s hull during the traditional celebration.
Sophie Banham, who was first involved in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in 2008, has been chosen as the ship’s godmother. Emma Simpson, daughter of Euan Simpson, Dogger Bank Marine Supervisor, has been named the goddaughter of the Alison Kay daughter craft vessel, which will be permanently stationed on the Grampian Derwent.
The name of the daughter craft honours Alison Kay, who established The People’s Kitchen in Newcastle upon Tyne as a means of providing food and hope to individuals who are homeless and sleeping on the streets of the city.
The vessel belongs to the VARD 4 12-design and is one of four that will be used for at least ten years to support operations and maintenance at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, located 130km off the coast of Yorkshire in the North Sea. The vessel joins the Grampian Tyne vessel, which was delivered to the wind farm in June 2023.
The design provides high-quality accommodation to offshore wind turbine technicians, as well as a centralised logistics hub configured to handle cargo and act as a functioning warehouse offshore for Dogger Bank, which will become the largest offshore wind farm upon completion.
