The Offshore Wind Industry Council, in its UK Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence Report, indicates that to deliver the UK’s ambitions of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030, a workforce of 100,000 people in the UK offshore wind industry will be required. Equinor is developing the offshore wind workforce to support its project delivery and would create and sustain thousands of jobs if successful in securing a lease area for development in the Celtic Sea.
We are committed to working with others in the industry to stimulate skills growth, collaborating with the Offshore Wind Industry Council, RenewableUK and Marine Energy Wales to advance thinking on skills stimulation.
In both Norfolk and the North East of England, Equinor is stimulating skills development amongst its supply chain by enabling continued education through Apprenticeship Levy Transfers. Working with local training providers, Equinor is supporting cohort-scale apprenticeship intakes to bridge skills gaps and help employees of local SMEs develop skills in areas identified by local councils as shortages.
We believe that a skilled local workforce will be best placed to assist Equinor in delivering offshore floating wind in the Celtic Sea. To support this, we are looking to work with local colleges and universities to ensure strong growth of relevant skills and expertise in the region – now and into the future.
