The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) have signed an agreement to map out workforce training needs in support of renewable energy development.
According to the organisations, the two-year agreement outlines the importance of safety, training, and job creation to support wind energy development and the global energy transition.
GWO and GWEC have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage shared resources, including datasets, analytical and forecasting capabilities, which are expected to provide insights to all wind industry stakeholders.
“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,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of Global Wind Energy Council.
“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.”
Last year, GWO and GWEC, together with Renewables Consulting Group (RCG), issued the Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2021-2025 report.
According to the report, over 172,000 GWO – trained people were needed over the span of five years to meet the global offshore wind power market demand.
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 the third quarter of 2022.
“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,” said Jakob Lau Holst , CEO of Global Wind Organisation.