• New Lowestoft-Amsterdam skills exchange upskills students for careers in fast-growing offshore wind industry.
• East Coast College hosted 10 Dutch students at its £11.7 million Energy Skills Centre at Lowestoft for training by industry leaders Hexis on its specialist offshore training equipment to kick off the “win-win” special relationship.
• Norfolk and Suffolk engineering students will soon head to Amsterdam to learn specialised repair techniques on giant wind turbine blades they can’t access locally.
• The partnership was brokered by Vattenfall, building the world’s biggest wind farms off Norfolk’s coast to power more than four million UK homes, so more young people can join the escalating industry and green revolution.

Young engineers in colleges on both sides of the North Sea have been brought together by Vattenfall to learn job skills for the offshore wind industry thriving off both coasts.

Vattenfall, whose flagship Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone will generate enough green energy to power more than four million UK homes, introduced East Coast College (ECC) Lowestoft to a college in Amsterdam it worked with during construction of its 140-turbine Hollandse Kust wind farm.

Potential for a skills and knowledge exchange was spotted for students to access specialist skills not available at their own colleges. The extra skills support their entry into the burgeoning industry in the sea between their hometowns.

Electrical engineering and aviation students from Amsterdam’s MBO College Airport spent two weeks in Lowestoft training on specialist industry equipment at ECC’s £11.7m Energy Skills Centre and in its Environmental Survival Tank.

Later this year they will host ECC engineering students on a return visit when they learn specialist blade repair skills using decommissioned turbine blades supplied to the college by Vattenfall.

During their two weeks in Lowestoft, the Dutch students worked with Vattenfall’s young ambassadors studying at ECC, who they trained to deliver a day-long workshop to design and build a virtual windfarm. They also visited two offshore wind farm bases and control rooms and went behind the scenes at Associated British Ports (ABP) Lowestoft.

Denise Hone, Senior Stakeholder and Community Engagement Manager for Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, said:
“Partnerships like this are really important for Vattenfall and the offshore wind industry, and are also great for students here in the east of England and in Holland, helping them get experience and a head start in our exciting industry. 

"The east of England is changing the world in a green energy revolution with billions of pounds being invested in the sea between the two colleges in England and the Netherlands. As we move into construction of our Norfolk Wind Zone, we need local people to work on our project so this is a great opportunity for local students to get involved.

“It’s fantastic that East Coast College is at the heart of offshore wind training. The students have gone back to Holland with Global Wind Organisation (GWO) training, which is the gateway to work offshore.”

Rene de Moor, a blade repair tutor at the Amsterdam college, said: 
“The two weeks have been wonderful - more than I expected and a great experience for students to go abroad and learn from experts. It is a win-win situation for us all.”

The college’s facilities – its environmental survival tank, ship’s bridge simulator, turbine lift simulator and working at height equipment - were “overwhelming. The exchange is a win-win situation.”

Gijs Thieme, 21, an electrical engineering student from Amsterdam, plans to combine his love of climbing with a future career by scaling 100m long blades out at sea as a blade repair technician.

“It has been amazing. I have learned so much about safety offshore, turbines and how they operate, and first aid skills.”

Vattenfall’s design and build a virtual offshore wind farm workshop had been “very valuable to learn about how the process, all the considerations and the calculations to make wind farms profitable.” 

Rachel Bunn, East Coast College Director of Commercial and Community Projects, said drone and robotics skills training were being explored for future exchanges:
“The exchange is about opening students’ eyes to the ‘What If?’ and ‘I Can’. This pilot project proved that ECC is at the forefront of training, locally, regionally and internationally. We will be working with the same college moving forward with different cohorts but also rolling it out to other international providers.”

“It shows what can be done to benefit individuals and the industry when a developer like Vattenfall, supply chain company, Hexis, and a college work together. It is not only about training for the future workforce, but also about integrating different groups of students and different cultures, especially as they will be working in an international workforce with opportunities across the world.”

Offshore skills tutors Dave Carter and Jason Bull, from leading training provider Hexis based at ECC, delivered the students’ training.

The new partnership supports offshore wind industry targets to employ 100,000 people in the UK alone by 2030.

KeyFacts Energy: Vattenfall UK country profile