There is an entity called the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) which is a non-profit body founded and owned by its members - all of whom are globally leading wind turbine manufacturers and owners/operators. It is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, but it provides training and education, and create industry standards for world-wide use. It has a committee, established in 2019, especially focused on the North America wind energy industry.
Global Wind Organisation Training Committee
It's mission, it describes, is to strive for an injury free work environment in the wind turbine industry, setting common international standards for safety training and emergency procedures.
The committee is attended by current members, in particular major manufacturers and operators from the region such as GE Renewable Energy,Vestas, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Enercon, as well as owner operators including Ørsted, Acciona Energia and RWE Renewables.
The GWO North America Committee's objectives are:
Promote Regulation Standards
- Promote adoption of GWO in North AmericaAlign GWO Standards with any regulatory requirements or practices prevalent or in development in the North American market to drive and oversee special initiatives to support the above.
- GWO published its first versions of a Basic Safety Training (BST) standard in 2012 in response to the demand for recognizable standards in the wind turbine industry. This was followed by the Basic Technical Training (BTT)Standard in 2017.
- GWO has since launched a range of other training standards which align the requirements of employers for workers carrying out various roles in the wind turbine industry.
The programs are designed to reach the goals of the United Nations' 17Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 4on Quality Education, target 4.4.
Technician Jobs
- It recognizes that the industry needs a substantial number of wind technicians.GWO standardized training as seen as a key enabler of the mission to create an injury free working environment in wind.
- In Massachusetts, twelve union members received offshore wind training and received certification through virtual reality training.
GWO offers training certifications in the following areas:
- Basic and Refresher Training
- Rescue and Advanced Rescue Training
- Basic and Advanced Technical Training
- Blade Repair Training
- Control of Hazardous Energies Basic and Refresher Training
- Basic and Enhanced First Aid Refresher Training
- Lift Training (Hoists/cranes)
- Slinger Signaller training