In the first of a series of articles throughout 2023, Ian Balmforth, Lead Nominated Person at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, gives us an introduction to the world of offshore renewables and why this career path is far more viable than competent electricians may have previously believed.
Q. Tell us a little bit more about Siemens Gamesa and the company’s work
We manufacture and install wind turbines offshore and onshore around the world as well as carrying out ongoing service contracts for our customers.
Put simply, we are the world’s leading player in the renewable wind market with 35 billion pounds worth of work on our “to do” list in the form of orders.
Q. Why are you keen to communicate with PE’s readers?
We are part of one of the world’s largest engineering companies and are the largest player in offshore wind, so we’re always looking for the best people to come and work with us.
One area that we don’t see enough interest coming from is qualified electricians. Their skills are easily transferable and those who have made that switch quickly realise that our industry is an option for them that they wish they’d considered sooner.
There are plenty of misconceptions around this type of work, but essentially we are on a building site… that just so happens to be generating electricity and making a genuine difference to the world at the same time.
Q. Why do we rarely see roles within Siemens Gamesa advertised?
We have traditionally advertised online via our own platforms, but we recognise that some of the wording and titles associated to the adverts historically might have made people doubt their suitability for the roles we offer. Again, this is something we wish to change.
Q. So what roles would potentially be suitable for readers of this magazine?
The short answer is ‘there are lots!’
We have roles for commissioning technicians, installation technicians and service technicians, all of which are very accessible for professionals with traditional electrical trade qualifications. C&G L2/L3, NVQ 2/3 C&G 2391, JIB gold card etc. are all industry recognised and are also equally recognised and valued within the wind turbine industry.
Q. What about the aforementioned ‘Commissioning Technician’ role?
That sounds complicated… It might, but the reality is that electricians have the skill sets that we need, and perform the same tasks every week, such as installing cables, connecting cables, fault finding, isolating systems and test/inspection. That should all sound very familiar to discerning readers of this magazine.
Of course, Siemens Gamesa offers a bespoke training system to each and every turbine technician and individuals are given extensive training suited for their role as standard.
Q. What other benefits does moving into this type of industry offer?
At Siemens Gamesa we offer individuals an opportunity to join a market leader within the industry, with all the benefits around salary and flexible renumeration packages that you would expect from a large corporate employer. We offer a good work/life balance, extensive training and, for lots of people, a chance for a change of perspective.
Professionals are given opportunities to work all over the world in a safety-conscious and professional environment. As a company, it’s important for us to demonstrate that we very much have career paths and opportunities to progress built into the culture of our business.
It’s valuable for us to utilise both experience and integrity and also valuable for our technicians to know they have a future beyond the pliers and screwdrivers. What’s more, they also get to be part of the future in terms of power generation… saving the planet one turbine at a time.
Q. What is expected of electricians that might be interested in this career path?
If you are a fully trained electrician – AM2, C&G, NVQ, 2391 – we expect you to bring those professional cultures and skills to our environment. We want professional people with integrity which, to us, means doing the right thing when no one is looking.
As we work on and offshore, we have to be able to trust that your behaviours match our expectations. We offer a serious and secure career opportunity and rely on our people to treat us with the same respect that we treat them with. We don’t believe this is too much to ask of either party.
Q. What’s the next step for those that are interested to learn more?
We always need to remind individuals initially that we do work in offshore environments, so you must be reasonably fit and will be required to pass a medical examination, a sea survival course and work at height as part of your working day.
If all of that works for you, we’d love to hear from you at the link below and will be happy to give you more advice about taking that first step into crossing over to the truly refreshing world of renewable energy.
Find out more about the current roles and vacancies at Siemens Gamesa here
