Equinor is an Event Sponsor for GOW22 and will be attending the event to promote some of the many career opportunities it offers to help recruit and train the green energy workforce of tomorrow.
Community is at the heart of Equinor’s activities and the company has created, developed and participated in a range of programmes to engage with and support local communities around its projects. Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm is a prime example, bringing power, sustainability and opportunity to those living in and around North East England.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being delivered by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni Plenitude. SSE Renewables is leading on construction and delivery while Equinor will operate the wind farm on completion. Together the project partners have committed to £1 million investment in the Dogger Bank Community Fund during the construction of the windfarm, in the areas impacted by their construction and operations activities.
Felicity Wann, Operations Leader for Dogger Bank, says:
“It has been great to see our investments come to fruition through tangible events. With South Tyneside Council in our capacity as a Stemettes partner, we recently attended an event to promote awareness about STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects to girls from two primary schools in the area. I was delighted to discuss Dogger Bank and what we are doing on this world leading project.
“We’re very proud to be a major supporter of such an initiative. There are few females in the renewable energy sector, including offshore wind, than in many other industries. As champions of diversity and the benefits this offers the workplace and the industry, the team at Dogger Bank are keen to help more women enter the market.”
Further helping to educate and inspire the next generation to get involved with renewable energy are other opportunities for young people to utilise coming soon. Tom Nightingale – North East Stakeholder Manager, Renewables, Equinor – says:
“It is fantastic for young girls to see what an amazing career someone like Felicity can build for themselves in renewables. For older students, we have a graduate scheme in place and will be providing apprenticeships in the near future too.
“This is not just about strengthening the Dogger Bank team but also helping the local community. General employment rates are lower in the North of England. By promoting STEM learning and the career opportunities available from a local project like Dogger Bank, we hope to support the aspirations of young people in the area and enable them to build a bright future.”
This local involvement extends beyond the young population. As Felicity goes on to explain, a growing number of people are returning to the North East to join Dogger Bank after working in various industries elsewhere:
“A huge proportion of the people working at Dogger Bank are local and we’re very proud of that. We want to create local ownership around the project, and we’re delighted with the positivity and attention this generates. Many individuals join us from other industries because they want to ‘come home’ and there are exciting opportunities surrounding Dogger Bank.”
As the renewable energy sector grows, the transition of skills will be integral to successfully upscaling projects and driving innovation. Felicity continues:
“We look for very specific competencies for certain roles on the wind farm. Offshore wind, and Dogger Bank in particular, focuses on brand-new technology with many firsts for the industry – we have new to market wind turbines and HVDC technology that has not previously been utilised on an offshore wind farm in the UK. We have to learn how to manage everything efficiently.
“This means we want people of different backgrounds and skillsets – we have engineers from Nissan, a planner from a tea factory, colleagues with backgrounds in offshore oil and gas, and a recent recruit from the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult testing facility in Blyth. We are extremely open-minded regarding recruitment because we appreciate the unique capabilities and experiences that those from different industries offer. There are many similarities shared with other offshore sectors – especially with regards to the strictly regulated health and safety, maintenance and operations protocols in place when working offshore. Extending asset lifetimes is a key strategy for Dogger Bank, so utilising best practice from other sectors will be essential. Our goal is to upskill as an organisation, not simply as individuals.”
For anyone wanting to know more about opportunities and progress at Dogger Bank, the team will be running a careers fair at the upcoming GOW22. Tom says:
“Our event will be focused fully on skill development, with our teams discussing the different pathways into and across the sector. There will also be information on upcoming jobs with Dogger Bank and plenty of people to engage with for more information. For us, #RUKGOW22 is a great opportunity to showcase Dogger Bank to the global offshore wind sector with a fantastic pool of talent to interact with. We hope to meet you all there!”
For the latest information on Dogger Bank and the career opportunities available, please visit www.doggerbank.com
Students can attend Global Offshore Wind 2022 for free. For more information visit https://events.renewableuk.com/gow22
