In the wind industry there is a lot of lifting of extremely heavy parts during the construction and maintenance phases. Therefore comprehensively trained personnel in Rigging and Lifting is critical. These roles are based at the construction site and will involve moving the towers, generators and gearboxes. Shifts are often 12 hours on 4 week rotations, overnight you will stay in a flotel (an offshore accommodation block) or onshore where some companies will ask you to find your own accommodation.
Courses and Training:
The wind industry often recognises the same certificates as the oil and gas industry for rigging and lifting. These are the OPITO standards for which you can be trained as a Banksman / Slinger and a Rigging and Crane Operator. Each of these allow you to be trained to a stage one, two or three as well.
Meanwhile there could be the necessity to travel offshore, in which case it will be a requirement to carry the basic wind training as almost all the work in this sector is completed offshore. These certificates must be qualified by RenewableUK (RUK) and / or the Global Wind Organisation (GWO). The basic training is made up of:
- Sea Survival
- Fire Awareness
- First Aid
- Working at Height
- Manual Handling
Plus of course there is the specific training in the trade you are doing which we discussed earlier. It would be advisable to reach out to some companies and specific job roles to work out what training and qualifications you might need.
