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.
Middlesbrough College student Maisy Marcuzzi's work experience at onshore converter station site helps lead to apprenticeship offer from Sofia supplie...
Through the Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council's Building our Future primary schools programme the Sofia team has engaged with more than 400 Teess...
Champions for Wind enters is third year supporting teachers to integrate offshore wind opportunities into their curriculums.
Westgarth Primary Year 5s tasked with a project to create ways to keep offshore wind turbines free from seabird droppings, a real-life industry issue...
Around 50 Teesside Engineering students develop innovative ways to inspect blades
Week of activities for Teesside primary students, young people from under-served communities, University students and secondary teachers.
Sofia supports The Talent Foundry's Powering Potential programme for 16 to 18 year olds in the Tees Valley
Sofia helped 60 Year 5 students become wind farm experts for the day during the school's STEAM Week.
Five sessions at Outwood Academy Bydales reach the whole school during 'offshore wind week'.
Sofia's education support team along with project team members participated in 65 events at schools, colleges and universities over 2022, engaging wit...
Plenty of interest from students in offshore wind careers at this first careers event for 2023
Almost 600 students took part in the day-long event attended by students from Years 7 through to 11.
Sofia's education team asked students to build towers and blades, and compete in an international energy market to give a taste of real world experien...
Reverse format gives special needs students the opportunity to showcase their aspirations to employers.
Meeting students at an engineering focus day held as part of the university's two-week long initiative.
Sofia engages local primaries as part of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s Building our Future education programme.
Sofia is once again represented at this key Newcastle University student careers event.
Offering professional advice to future engineers as they consider which direction to take post-university.
Hands-on turbine experiment and virtual reality visit to wind farm give hundreds of North East students a taste of offshore wind.
Elsa Lamb, recent graduate from the University of Plymouth joins the Sofia consents team on a 12-month placement.
More than 1600 teenagers took part in the NCS 22 Enterprise Challenge posed by Sofia: to devise a campaign to encourage more women to enter the offsho...
Teesside University student tackles real-world offshore wind industry cable issue.
Masters students tackle real-world offshore wind construction challenge for their dissertations.
Outwood Academy Bydales use 'Love where you Live' as the theme to decorate the hoardings at Sofia's construction compound.
Sofia and its contractors are helping young people gain vital on-site experience as part of the T-Level programme.
Redcar's Errington Primary students get a hands-on lesson in offshore wind planning from Sofia
A virtual renewables challenge for around 20 geography students from the UK and Germany
Masters student Harry Stuart joined Sofia's onshore team for a two week on-site experience
Teesside University students rise to the blade challenge
Almost 400 primary students attended two back-to-back assemblies to hear all about Sofia, a project happening on their doorstep.
Working with our suppliers and local business networks to help ensure young people are prepared and inspired for their future careers.
Five new teachers join Sofia's Champions for Wind careers programme with kick-off visit to the onshore converter station site.
Students from across the region log-in to visit the virtual event and learn about their options for the future
Sofia has held a series of continuous professional development sessions for teachers to ensure the best use of the primary school education resources...
As the closest school to the Sofia landfall site, its a natural fit for the project team to work with Outwood Academy Bydales to ensure students are a...
The Sofia team has been on the road during the last half of 2021, visiting Teesside primary and secondary schools as well as Universities to get stude...
Meet structural engineer Amit Dey in this interview where he talks about being an engineer on a major offshore wind project. Part of a Tees Valley Com...
Recent Plymouth University graduate Jordan O'Neill joins the Sofia consents team as the onshore works pick up pace and the project heads towards offsh...
The Sofia team took part in Newcastle University's annual careers event to highlight the myriad careers in offshore wind energy.
Pairing up with Jones Bros for a careers fair in Redcar broadened the attendees awareness of the type of jobs in offshore wind, and the fact they are...
By partnering with multi-academy trust Tees Valley Education, Sofia has facilitated the education of primary students about offshore wind and its many...
The Sofia team met with students, jobseekers and people looking for new careers at the annual Jobs Fair, highlighting routes in the offshore wind sect...
History students from Outwood Academy Bydales were invited to get a glimpse of their local area’s past with a visit to an archaeology dig right next d...
More than 330 students at Redcar's Lakes Primary School have a virtual session on the big screen from Sofia's STEM team.
This year's annual Tees Valley Careers event for local schools and colleges was held online and the Sofia team was present to answer student queries a...
Sofia gave Teesside University engineering students an insight into working with offshore wind at a virtual event.
Five Redcar teachers have become 'offshore wind champions', working with Sofia to develop curriculum materials that will teach their students about of...
Sofia has partnered with the Tees Valley Education Trust to create resources and run teacher workshops for 20 local primary schools to highlight the o...
Two Teesside University graduates completed online internships with Sofia during the pandemic, both looking at the topic of CO2 payback time for offsh...
Sofia took part in the virtual Youth Climate Summit, a five-day livestream festival with more than 160 sessions aimed at inspiring young people to tak...
Sofia welcomes our first graduate intern to the project team. Working within consents, and with a focus on environmental issues, Phoebe Meredith will...
Video now live on Tees Valley Combined Authority careers website, aiming to inspire young people into offshore wind career pathways.
Through UK STEM, Sofia was the basis for a successful work experience trial during lockdown. A possible model for future engagement between schools an...
Sofia is working with Teesside University to offer two final year students the opportunity for a summer placement with the wind farm team
Teesside University and Sofia Offshore Wind Farm have signed an agreement setting out how we will work together to build local skills and capabilities...
Sofia and our sister project Triton Knoll were able to give students a virtual visit to a wind farm when we attended the Tees Valley Skills & STEM...
Sofia’s Principal Geotechnical Engineer, Andy Barwise ran an offshore wind workshop for Year 12 students as part of Teesside University’s STEMulate 12...
Here you will find education related materials and resources that Sofia has gathered to help teachers and other educators.
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.
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.
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. The programme was relaunched as Sofia Champions for Wind in 2020 with (to date) 11 Teesside secondary schools and 22 teachers and careers advisors taking part.
The Champions developed teaching resources incorporating offshore wind into their respective subject areas and curriculums. Some of those resources from the cohorts over the years can be found here, free to use for any teaching professionals or people with an interest in offshore wind.
Here you will find education related materials and resources that Sofia has gathered to help teachers and other educators.
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.
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.
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. The programme was relaunched as Sofia Champions for Wind in 2020 with (to date) 11 Teesside secondary schools and 22 teachers and careers advisors taking part.
The Champions developed teaching resources incorporating offshore wind into their respective subject areas and curriculums. Some of those resources from the cohorts over the years can be found here, free to use for any teaching professionals or people with an interest in offshore wind.
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.
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
