GWO and GWEC sign two-year deal to power the global wind energy workforce

PRESS RELEASE – 6 April 2022, Bilbao – Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have signed a new two year agreement to map out workforce training needs in support of renewable energy development and meet the huge increase of jobs required to meet the global energy transition.

The two organisations have signed a new memorandum of understanding to leverage shared resources, including unique datasets, analytical and forecasting capabilities, which will provide valuable insights to all wind industry stakeholders.

Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of Global Wind Organisation, explains: “The GWO Wind Industry Database (WINDA) contains the most comprehensive set of workforce training information in the world. Over 122,000 people are now trained to GWO standard at centres in nearly 50 countries.  

“To support demand in new markets, the industry needs insight, forecasting and analysis. We are delighted to continue our partnership with GWEC to help make this a reality, matching workforce needs for training and delivering a powerful proposition for investors, policymakers, OEMs and other stakeholders”.  

Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, added:

“The wind energy industry has already created 1.2 million jobs worldwide according to IRENA, and this number will continue to grow as demand for wind energy increases with the global energy transition. We want to help the market answer challenging questions about where jobs will be needed most to meet demand and outline what training will be required to develop a workforce that is knowledgeable and sustainable to, quite literally, build the wind markets of tomorrow. This collaboration is the first step in helping to produce a coherent roadmap for wind energy jobs in the future global energy system, helping emerging markets to benefit from high-quality local job creation to contribute to a thriving green economy”.

The next output of the collaboration will see GWO and GWEC produce its third annual report on job creation and workforce training needs in global offshore wind markets, to be released in Q3 2022.

Editors’ Notes:

About Global Wind Energy Council

GWEC is a member-based organization that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organizations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies. Find out more: https://gwec.net/  

About Global Wind Organisation

GWO is a non-profit organisation of wind turbine owners and wind turbine manufacturers, committed to the creation and adoption of standardized safety training and emergency procedures. Independent training providers deliver GWO-certified training to delegates worldwide. See our interactive map of training providers. Training records are uploaded and stored in the GWO WINDA database, allowing members to verify training records quickly and easily, helping employers avoid unnecessary spending on re-training.  

Media Contact Details

Nina Kirk, Global Communication & Marketing Lead, GWO

nk@globalwindsafety.org (+45) 2244 2265

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