Wind energy is the UK’s leading renewable energy source. As the number of both onshore and offshore wind turbine farms is set to rise rapidly to meet the UK’s 2030 clean power targets, wind turbine recruitment is a high priority for organisations looking to develop new sites.

From technicians and engineers to regulatory compliance roles, several key positions and skillsets are rising in demand to support the growth of the wind industry, through the planning, building, and maintenance of offshore and onshore sites.

Why are skilled professionals in the wind turbine industry increasingly in demand?

According to projections, the wind industry will need to double its workforce to 112,000 employees in the next five years in order to meet the 2030 Clean Power targets. However, RenewableUK’s analysis predicts that the industry will not be able to meet this, and that there will be a shortfall of over 37,000 workers across the wind industry by 2030.

This projected gap is largely due to plans for the significant expansion of both onshore and offshore wind capacity. The sector has secured high levels of investment, which is supporting several projects from their initial planning stage all the way through to manufacturing and building the infrastructure. Additionally, the wind turbine industry has been given funds for the wider supply chain, including improving pipelines for talent and increasing wind turbine recruitment.

For example, £700 million has been invested in offshore wind this year alone to place in upcoming projects that are aiming to raise the electricity capacity to 45-50GW by 2030. To support the expansion of wind electricity capacity, businesses are focusing on effective wind recruitment across the sector.

What skills and roles are in demand in wind turbine recruitment?

In order to meet the 2030 Clean Power targets, many roles connected with the onshore and offshore wind turbine industry are in high demand. Roles across planning, installation, operations, maintenance, and regulatory compliance are all required by organisations to support the life cycle of wind farms.

However, there are several roles that are often prioritised for targeted wind recruitment campaigns, such as:

Wind turbine technicians

Wind turbine technicians are highly sought-after by employers within the industry. They are vital professionals as they inspect, maintain, and repair turbines. Projected demand is set to exceed 21,000 technicians by 2030, which shows the urgent need for wind turbine recruitment campaigns to target skilled technicians in this area.

Key hard skills: Mechanical & electrical troubleshooting abilities and knowledge of safety protocols attached to working at heights.

Key soft skills: Problem-solving, teamwork and communication.

Engineers (mechanical and electrical)

Engineers are in high demand within the wind turbine sector. This includes electrical engineers who design and maintain the electrical systems used by wind farms for power generation and grid integration. Mechanical engineers, on the other hand, design and test the mechanical aspects of the turbines, such as the blades and gearboxes. These technical roles are crucial to the production of wind turbines, as well as their maintenance.

Key hard skills: Knowledge of hydraulics, gear systems, SCADA systems, HV/LV (high/low voltage) systems, safety protocols and troubleshooting.

Key soft skills: Teamwork and communication.

Meteorologists

Meteorologists form an important part of any wind farm workforce and are a priority for many organisations’ wind recruitment campaigns. This is because meteorologists use data to provide accurate weather forecasts that inform plans on projected energy supply generated from wind turbines, and also report extreme weather events that might damage or affect wind farms. By knowing key details such as wind direction and speed, operators can adjust the direction of turbine blades to maximise energy generation. This information can also inform the need to use energy storage at any point to stabilise the energy supply to the National Grid.

Key hard skills: Proficiency with weather prediction models, satellite imagery and data analysis.

Key soft skills: Communication, stakeholder management, and storytelling skills.

Health & safety officers

Wind farms can be dangerous places. Health & safety officers (HSOs) help to prevent the many risks present in wind farms, such as employees working with heavy machinery, undertaking maintenance and repairs at height, as well as travelling far out to sea. Wind farm operators have an obligation to protect workers and reduce risks of harm, making the role crucial to employee safety and an important part of any organisation’s wind turbine recruitment campaign.

Key hard skills: Deep regulatory knowledge of risk assessments and incident investigation assessments.

Key soft skills: Communication and interpersonal skills.

Environmental officers

With targets to increase electricity capacity for offshore wind turbines to 50GW and their onshore counterparts to 29GW, there are many wind farms at various stages of development. Environmental officers are instrumental during the planning phase as they manage the environmental impact assessments that secure the necessary planning permissions for new wind farms. They will also liaise with the right local authorities, community groups, and agencies to ensure that each project is compliant. Their work is crucial to making sure the process is as smooth as possible and reducing the chance of costly delays.

Key hard skills: Knowledge of regulatory compliance, wildlife monitoring and experience in conducting environmental impact assessments.

Key soft skills: Problem-solving, communication and teamwork.

AI & automation engineers

AI is one area that has not yet been fully utilised in the wind industry, however, over the next few years, it will likely become vital to ensuring core efficiencies in the sector, thus creating high demand for the role in wind recruitment. Currently, there are several programmes dedicated to using AI in the building and maintenance of wind turbines, such as the research centre ‘Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’, which has deployed AI technology on 4 offshore wind sites and used the technology to predict when faults will occur up to 30 days before they happen. Across the renewable energy sector, many companies are looking into how AI can be leveraged across sites, making AI & automation engineers an area of growing demand within wind turbine recruitment.

Key hard skills: Data science, machine learning, and programming skills, knowledge of wind turbine engineering.

Key soft skills: Collaboration and communication.

How is talent entering the wind turbine industry?

In order to meet the wind turbine recruitment requirements of the future, more individuals need to be attracted to starting careers in the sector. Current routes of entry include:

• Apprenticeships
• University or college qualifications
• Re-training opportunities

By actively increasing investment and giving an equal focus to each of these routes, the sector can broaden its talent pipeline, gaining access to individuals with a wealth of experience, skills, education and diverse backgrounds. Doing so will help the sector increase its talent pools and opportunities to fill much needed skills gaps in the wind turbine industry.

What are the workforce challenges in the wind turbine industry?

There are several workforce challenges currently affecting the sector, which are contributing to project delays and hindering the UK’s ability to scale up wind energy production. These issues include:

Skills shortages

Due to the rapid growth of the wind energy industry, there is a shortage of professionals who have the key skills needed to match demand. This poses real problems for businesses where key talent across all areas of wind turbine production, manufacturing, and maintenance are in demand. Additionally, challenges in recruitment and securing the necessary skills for wind farm projects has a knock-on effect, including project delays, limited growth, and the ability to attract and retain professionals.

Workforce mobility

As countries across the world work to meet the UN’s Net Zero 2050 and tackle climate change, many are increasing their reliance on renewable energy for electricity. Globally, wind energy is the second-largest renewable energy source, and the UK’s wind industry and talent are often regarded as market leaders. Consequently, UK wind energy professionals are in high demand internationally, creating more opportunities to move to companies and countries offering the most attractive packages. This has led to challenges for UK businesses in securing and retaining key talent for wind energy jobs and projects.

Remote locations

A major challenge in securing in demand professionals is the remote locations of offshore and onshore wind farms. This aspect of the sector can be unattractive to professionals and make it harder for businesses to secure the wind turbine talent they need. Organisations need to ensure that they have a better compensation package to offset some of the more unattractive aspects of the wind industry, such as onsite working in remote and offshore locations.

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Overall, the wind turbine industry is set to experience exponential growth over the next few years, with the expansion of new wind farms both onshore and offshore in order to meet the 2030 Clean Power targets. There is acute pressure within wind recruitment to secure the tens of thousands of skilled professionals needed to support all stages of the new wind farm production from planning to commissioning, construction and ongoing maintenance. If the sector focuses on ways companies can attract more individuals and remove barriers to entry, the sector as a whole will have a better chance of filling problematic skills gaps.

VIQU Energy, as offshore and onshore wind recruitment specialists, have partnered with multiple wind and renewable energy organisations to secure fantastic talent for new and ongoing projects. If you would like to know how we can support your wind turbine recruitment, get in touch with our team here.