Federation readies wind energy workforce

With Australia on a journey to reduce emissions, the wind generation industry is leading the country’s renewable energy transition and undergoing rapid growth.

As the industry quickly evolves, the need for skilled wind energy workers is at an all-time high. A report from the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) forecasts Australia will double the number of people employed on wind energy projects by 2027.

Federation TAFE is helping meet this workforce demand with the Certificate III in Engineering (Composites Trade), a three-year apprenticeship program that is Australia’s first defined pathway for people to enter the wind generation industry as blade repair technicians.  The course is delivered at the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC) at Federation’s Ballarat Campus (Mt Helen).

Wind Turbine Blade Technicians play a crucial role in ensuring wind farms operate at maximum capacity and generate as much renewable electricity as possible by inspecting, maintaining, and repairing wind turbine blades at locations around the country, and fixing issues caused by contamination, impact damage, fatigue, or weather events like erosion, rain, hail, or lightning.

The Certificate III teaches students to handle and use materials including resins such as Polyester and Epoxy, reinforcing materials such as glass, carbon fibre, and Kevlar, and core materials such as PET, polyurethane and PVC to create composite items to engineered standards. Completing the course also skills students for careers in the aerospace, marine and other sectors.

Teacher James McKenzie says, “Primarily with this course, we want students to be looking at the wind industry. However, because it is a trade, all trades should be all encompassing. We don't train people to be very good at one particular thing, we train them to have broad spectrum knowledge so that when they're exposed to things out in the wild, they’ll know how to deal with them.”

“When it comes to this field, the students are going to be working with blades and turbines, but we want them to understand composites on a deep level. That might mean that they will be able to go and work in, say, the maritime industry doing something as simple as surfboards, they could be doing high end racing yachts, they could go into the aerospace sector. They could be working for Boeing, making wings for planes.”

“Our students are going to come away with the foundational knowledge to understand how to do something without the need for detailed instructions. So rather than them coming in and saying, how do I make this? They leave here with the ability to say, I know that if I'm given the task to make something which materials I'll pick and how I will approach making it. And that's the biggest thing we can teach them.”

The first cohort to undertake the Federation course are four apprentices with Vestas Wind Technology, a multinational sustainable energy company – Max, Sam, Will and Eden. Like many in the industry they have each taken a sideways step from other trades and occupations to enter the burgeoning renewable energy sector and are enjoying the travel, autonomy, and diversity of their role.

Will says, “There’s no typical day on the job. You could be on a continuous improvement management (CIM) case, or a random damages case when you go to a site that needs a bit of love. They get you thinking a bit more. You get to read drawings and work out how you going to repair it.  As long as you stick to the drawings and which parts go where, you can incorporate your own ideas into how you're going to perform it.

“The variation, traveling, meeting different people, working on different sites is all appealing. The wage is pretty good as well. As is getting into it young as the industry is booming and going crazy. There are probably not enough workers for what's getting built which is why there is a rush for education like this and getting skilled technicians like us.”

Eden adds, “The industry wants people who are qualified in the trade and studying the Certificate III makes a big difference to your understanding and general quality of work. Having that under your belt is a pretty good position to be in. You’re getting a head start on a lot of people entering an industry which is only going to keep growing.”

If you’re interested in learning skills in one of the fastest growing industries in Australia, Federation TAFE has a list of courses related to the wind energy industry.