Member Article

£1 million renewable energy centre on Tyneside creating 12 new jobs

Offshore industry expert, AIS Training is expanding its training village on North Tyneside to create a new state-of-the-art renewable energy centre which is expected to attract thousands of potential workers for the fast-growing wind sector.

12 new jobs will be created at AIS as a result of the project.

The new £1million Renewable Energy Centre of Excellence, which is accredited by leading wind industry bodies such as the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and Renewable UK (RUK), will deliver the full suite of technical skills and competency training required by the wind and renewables sectors.

Courses will include combined GWO/RUK Working at Height and Rescue, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, First Aid and Sea Survival qualifications.

Purpose-built within a 6,000 sq ft industrial unit, the new centre will feature a 15 metre high climbing and rescue platform which has 12 stations incorporating vertical fall-arrest safety systems, as well as a mock nacelle and three technical engineering areas.

These facilities will re-create the field conditions found on ‘real-life’ wind turbines enabling AIS to deliver realistic skills training and ultimately ‘work-ready’ personnel. The centre also includes three state-of-the-art classrooms equipped with the latest Wi-Fi enabled IT systems and a central relaxation area.

The centre sits within AIS Training’s existing 150,000sqft offshore training complex which delivers more than 90 industry accredited courses. This will enable delegates to get all the mandatory skills required by the wind sector in one location, as well as giving them access to AIS’s new hotel and restaurant.

Managing director at AIS, Paul Stonebanks, said: “Our new renewable energy facility will rival the very best in the world and will put the North East at the forefront of skills and competency training for the global wind energy sector.

“At AIS we are seeing massive customer demand for well-qualified wind industry professionals as a result of new offshore wind projects such as Dogger Bank and East Anglia One.

“Our new custom-made facility will enable us to accommodate this increased demand and help plug industry skills shortages.

“Working in the wind sector requires very specific skills such as inspecting and repairing wind turbine blades at eye-watering heights.

“Our training puts industry-skills such as working at height in context for wind professionals so that when they go into the field they are well equipped to cope with any eventuality.

“We’ve listened carefully to our customers who tell us that cost is the number one consideration when training staff.

“By building the renewable energy campus within our existing offshore training village - just around the corner from our onsite hotel - we can bring the overall training cost down for delegates.

“We significantly reduce their travel and accommodation costs. They can stay in our low-cost hotel at the same time as getting all the skills and competency training they would ever need in one location.

“We believe this creates an unbeatable offer and we are anticipating high demand for places at our centre.”