Ultimate Wind Career FAQ

The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) is an industry association which has set a range of safety and technical training standards/certificates that wind turbine technicians must hold to work on both offshore and onshore wind farms. These courses are universally recognised by wind farm owners, turbine manufacturers and companies who work on wind farms and every technician working in the industry needs to hold these. 

See our guide here for a summary of GWO certification. Maersk Training have worked with major employers in the wind industry for over 12 years, and have supported with the onboarding of hundreds of new technicians. For entry-level technicians we see the following courses as being the most in-demand from employers: 

• GWO Basic Safety Training – The core safety ticket, which every technician in the field holds. Demonstrating to employers your safety competency and ability to work in hazardous environments.  
• GWO Basic Technical Training – The core technical ticket, demonstrating to employers that your technical skills can be applied to wind turbine tasks. 
• GWO Enhanced First Aid – Demonstrates to employers your ability to respond to critical injuries and illnesses when working a long distance from emergency services.  
• GWO Advanced Rescue Training – Demonstrates to employers your ability to rescue colleagues in challenging environments.  

We recommend that as a minimum you would hold GWO BST and BTT tickets before you begin applying for roles.  

Be wise with which training you choose. There are many more safety and technical courses out there but many are role-specific and you can easily spend a lot of money on courses which may not progress your career transition journey.  

The majority of wind employers will only recognise GWO certification so your existing offshore training is unlikely to be recognised.

There’s no simple answer here. Some people find their first role easily, and some people struggle. It’s true that there is a huge demand for skilled technicians to build and maintain wind farms in the UK and overseas and the projected growth of the industry means there is real long term security once you are working.  

However, like any job market there are a lot of people trying to do the same thing as you. The important thing to do is to make a structured and persistent plan to engage with the industry directly. The people who have succeeded have done so because they mapped out the employers and engaged at all levels. We have a guide on how to do this here.  

If you choose to embark on a career transition into wind and invest in your training you MUST do your utmost to maximise your chances. You can spend a lot of money on training, but the employers will not come to you. Your success is dictated by the work you do to increase your chances.  

There are some skillsets which are obvious. High level engineers, electrical & mechanical engineers, hydraulic and cabling technicians, structural engineers & fitters etc with college/apprenticeship level qualifications will always be the most appealing to employers. However in over 12 years of working with new entrants into the sector we have seen trades, construction & industrial workers who have secured a job (always the persistent ones though!). 

You should balance your skills with your other attributes. Are you safety minded? Could you work remotely, away from home? Are you dedicated to learning something completely new?  

Many employers balance skills with the personality of the individual they are considering, so don’t be disheartened if you are not a highly qualified engineer.  

Also don’t let the high recruitment projections for wind give you a false sense of security. Speak with some employers in the industry about your skills and personal circumstances before you begin your journey.

We’ve seen it happen. People who are not technical at all have managed to get into entry level roles as a wind technician. However, this is a low number compared to people who have some technical experience. We would suggest a very high level of engagement with employers to ask for advice and guidance on this before you invest in training. 

Absolutely, some of them will. For some people the only viable route into a wind technician role is to wait for an opportunity with an employer willing to pay for your training. This is entirely possible.  

However, many employers, particularly in the service provider profile (more on that here) will have aspiring applicants approaching them with their training in-hand already. If an employer has two identical CVs and for one the training has already been done, you can expect who will be chosen.  

Holding the tickets at the point of application will help your odds of success, but you will need to assess your own circumstances to decide whether or not you should do this or wait for an employer who will arrange the training for you. It’s a highly competitive landscap

In our experience most new wind turbine technicians have started their first job with a service provider; a company who has been contracted to complete a specific project by the wind farm owner. Many service providers hire self-employed technicians for these projects, so while you may go straight into a permanent employed position you should also be ready to move to self-employed status in the early stages of your wind career. Consider your financial commitments in this regard. 

Local and central government funding does come along from time to time. Typically this funding will be specific to a geographical area. If you check our careers advice page you will see any funded learning opportunities we have right now. 

No, we are not an ELCAS approved provider, however we do often have alternative funding available to support with your GWO training – meaning you can use your ELCAS funding for something else. 

We’re not able to connect you with our clients but we will do our best to share information and opportunities that we are made aware of while you are training with us. While you’re training with us you will be sharing your classroom with a range of people from across the industry so you can expect to make some valuable connections. Our goal is to support you with the tools you need to take your own action.

GWO Basic Safety Training, Advanced Rescue Training and Enhanced First Aid all have a validity period of two years. GWO Basic Technical Training does not expire. 

Yes, full medical approval is typical for wind technicians, so it is advised for any aspiring technician to take an offshore medical (OGUK/Renewable UK are two examples to look up) and a Chester Step Test. Your fitness is important due to the nature of the role, and you do not want to go through everything and then not be able to pass the medical. 

This will depend on the policies of the employer and also the nature of the conviction.