Education & Skills

Working with local schools, universities and service providers to encourage careers in offshore wind.

Here we summarise all the initiatives where Sofia has collaborated with schools, Universities and skills organisations to raise awareness of offshore wind and the myriad career opportunities it offers. You can also find some brilliant resources for both primary and secondary teachers to try in their own classrooms as well as careers resources for people keen to learn more about working in this growing sector.

EDUCATION CASE STUDIES

EDUCATION CASE STUDIES

TEACHING RESOURCES

Here you will find education related materials and resources that Sofia has gathered to help teachers and other educators.

General offshore wind

BVG Associates 'Guide to an offshore wind farm' published on behalf of The Crown Estate and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Our sister project Triton Knoll has published full teaching pack to support teachers who want to teach their students about the diversity of careers and jobs associated with offshore wind. The materials are aimed at Key Stage 3 – but can be adapted to a wider age range (12-18). They can be delivered as individual lessons or as an enrichment day.

Offshore wind teaching resources for primary schools

Developed by Spark Tees Valley for Tees Valley Education, the resources start with three videos to be watched in conjunction with use of the Google Earth Voyager maps, teacher resources and class exercises. Narrated by Billy, the videos will give an introduction to Sofia and to offshore wind; an overview of why wind farms are built offshore, and finally a summary of how the power gets from the wind farm to the national grid. The resources cover Years 3 to 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and include downloads to print out for use in the classroom.

Click here to access the videos and primary school resources.

Champions for Wind  - secondary school resources produced by teachers for teachers

RWE, through the Forewind consortium, placed a significant focus on raising skills awareness during the early development of Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. Between 2012 and 2015, the Champions for Wind schools programme gave hundreds of 12 to 14 year olds a taste of the career opportunities, qualifications and experience required in offshore wind. The programme involved 30 teachers from 30 schools, including at least 15 from the North East. They developed teaching resources incorporating offshore wind into their respective curriculums. Some of those resources can be found here.

TEACHING RESOURCES

Here you will find education related materials and resources that Sofia has gathered to help teachers and other educators.

General offshore wind

BVG Associates 'Guide to an offshore wind farm' published on behalf of The Crown Estate and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult

Our sister project Triton Knoll has published full teaching pack to support teachers who want to teach their students about the diversity of careers and jobs associated with offshore wind. The materials are aimed at Key Stage 3 – but can be adapted to a wider age range (12-18). They can be delivered as individual lessons or as an enrichment day.

Offshore wind teaching resources for primary schools

Developed by Spark Tees Valley for Tees Valley Education, the resources start with three videos to be watched in conjunction with use of the Google Earth Voyager maps, teacher resources and class exercises. Narrated by Billy, the videos will give an introduction to Sofia and to offshore wind; an overview of why wind farms are built offshore, and finally a summary of how the power gets from the wind farm to the national grid. The resources cover Years 3 to 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and include downloads to print out for use in the classroom.

Click here to access the videos and primary school resources.

Champions for Wind  - secondary school resources produced by teachers for teachers

RWE, through the Forewind consortium, placed a significant focus on raising skills awareness during the early development of Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. Between 2012 and 2015, the Champions for Wind schools programme gave hundreds of 12 to 14 year olds a taste of the career opportunities, qualifications and experience required in offshore wind. The programme involved 30 teachers from 30 schools, including at least 15 from the North East. They developed teaching resources incorporating offshore wind into their respective curriculums. Some of those resources can be found here.

CAREERS RESOURCES

In this section we will collate resources that may be helpful for people who are looking for a career in the offshore wind sector. There are numerous different routes to careers and these links provide some hints and guidance.

  • View an interview with Sofia Structural Engineer Amit Dey about what is takes to be an offshore wind engineer as part of Tees Valley Careers initiative called Learn Live asking professionals about their roles: Careers in the Curriculum - where can engineering take you? (November 2021).

  • Check out our sister project - Triton Knoll's careers case studies for interviews with team members about their routes into offshore wind that will hopefully inspire those considering a career in the sector.

  • Offshore Wind Industry Council's Careers in Offshore Wind website. Complete with map to see how the offshore wind industry can power your future.

  • Renewable UK Careers, helping people choose what type of career would suit them. There is also their Wind Energy Access Portal which aims to give an understanding of the structure, standards, and good practise requirements for skills, competence, and health & safety within the sector

  • Tees Valley Careers has launched a site for young people, parents, schools and businesses where they can find all types of careers advice at TeesValleyCareers.com

  • An insider's viewpoint on making the career switch from oil & gas to offshore wind with a blog from Sofia's Project Management Office Manager, Nader Beltaji written for Global Offshore Wind 2020.
Loading...