Wind farms fan diver training boom
Divers currently working inshore are proving keen to move into the renewable sector due to the potential of higher earnings.
With the increase in offshore wind farm projects, a diver training centre in Scotland is reporting an increase in demand for training required to break into a career in the marine energy renewable industry.
The Underwater Centre in Fort William has seen an increase in those keen to pursue a career in commercial diving due to the increase in employment potential highlighted in reports documenting the rapidly expanding offshore wind sector in Europe.
Steve Ham, general manager at The Underwater Centre said, “It is a very exciting time now, with the rapid expansion of the marine renewable energy industry and as a training centre of choice for those entering the subsea industry it’s something we feel very much a part of.
“We have really seen a rise in training requests generated from an increase in opportunities in the sector and particularly in commercial diving on the wind farms. An advantage we have over other training facilities is that we are the only subsea training centre to provide commercial diver and ROV training on one purpose built training site. As ROVs are also increasingly being used by the renewables sector, this is a real advantage for those students going into that sector.”
To make the move into the marine renewable industry certain qualifications are required, including the HSE Surface Supplied and HSE Surface Supplied Top Up, both provided by The Underwater Centre.
Lee Walker from Norwich decided to pursue a career in commercial diving after working for a dive company as a yard person. He said, “Working for a dive company I was aware of the buzz around the marine renewable energy industry and I saw how much divers enjoyed what they did, so I was keen to explore a career for myself in the industry.
“The Underwater Centre was recommended to me by divers who I worked with, who had trained there and so I decided to book in with them for my HSE Surface Supplied Top Up, which I would need to be able to get work on the wind farms.”
A number of former Underwater Centre students now work for Osiris Marine Services on windfarm projects.
The Underwater Centre is a purpose built training facility which incorporates an extensive pier complex including four dive stations, classrooms, workshops and decompression chambers.
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