Applications open for apprentice offshore wind turbine technician
13 Mar, 2022
  • Galloper Offshore Wind Farm seeks new apprentice wind turbine technician for September start.
  • Three-year training includes two years at offshore wind skills centre and a year hands-on training at the Essex base.
  • Opportunity to shape a career in one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries.

Applications are open to find a new Apprentice Wind Turbine Technician to join the Harwich-based Galloper Offshore Wind Farm team.

The successful candidate will start a three-year training contract in September 2022 to qualify them to work as a Turbine Technician on the 56-turbine wind farm, which generates enough green electricity to power 380,000 UK homes.

The new apprentice will join four other current apprentices – two male and two female – in their second and third year on Galloper’s training pathway to a career in renewable energy, one of the UK’s fastest-growing sectors.

The new apprentice will spend two years at the bespoke wind turbine training facility at Llandrillo College, North Wales, and their third year with the 30-strong highly skilled team at Harwich, led by Galloper’s General Manager Sean Chenery.

Sean Chenery said:
 “Being an apprentice on Galloper Wind Farm is a rewarding job that allows you to work on highly advanced machinery in a challenging environment. Once trained, you will be working at sea in all weathers, and at height, using heavy, complex mechanical and electrical equipment”.

Candidates must be willing to learn and develop new skills, be interested in engineering, able to work both at height and at sea and to undertake shift work.

Eighteen-year-old Morgan Read, currently in his first year as a Galloper apprentice, is living with other RWE apprentices in Chester and is excited to start training for his first trip offshore and recommends choosing a career in renewable energy.

Morgan said:
“Offshore wind is a growing industry and offers amazing opportunities to develop new skills. I am confident this will set me up for the future, and I’m only halfway through my first year.”

Perseverance paid off for Morgan, of Kesgrave, Ipswich.

“I originally applied for an apprenticeship at Galloper after GCSEs but wasn’t successful. However, my mind kept going back to the apprenticeship during A-levels, so I tried again and won a place on the scheme.”

With A-levels in Business, Engineering and ICT (Information Communications Technology), he chose an apprenticeship over university.

“I wanted to do something practical and hands-on that would lead to a career. Living in North Wales with other apprentices at the college means we get a taste of life living away from home like university, but we are getting paid and learning work skills. In addition, I have mentors working as part of the Galloper operations team who provide ongoing support when I need it.”

Galloper has been generating clean power off the Suffolk coast for nearly four years and is operated by RWE.

  • Deadline for applications is March 18. An assessment centre will be in May with working at height and offshore fitness assessment centres in June.
    Candidates must have five GCSEs at 4/C or above including science and maths (or equivalent)
    The apprenticeship will result in an NVQ level 3 qualification in wind turbine operations and maintenance and a level 3 diploma in wind turbine maintenance.