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Orsted is playing a key role in widening teachers’ understanding of renewable energy, careers and access to the sector.

The offshore wind giant recently welcomed 18 teachers from schools in the Grimsby area to its East Coast Hub, in readiness for the new academic year. Organised through Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, several key staff from the nerve centre for the farms in the near North Sea explained the myriad of opportunities on a whistlestop tour, with a representative from RWE also invited to underline the cluster strength.

Supply chain and skills strategy manager Hannah Woodgate joined the party along the Royal Dock from the base it is currently expanding, talking to the educators alongside Orsted’s marine and helicopter co-ordinator, Poppy Hilton, and Hornsea Two operations manager, Paul Hazell. He works on what is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and took the time to give the teachers a tour around its service operative vessel, Wind of Hope, while it was back in port for a crew change.

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Harriet Farmery, community engagement officer at Orsted, said: “Teachers have such a large influence on their students, and this was shown in the apprentice data we gathered this year. “One of our goals for the day was to give the teachers confidence to be able to go back and relay careers information about Orsted to students and their parents. We feel confident that these 18 teachers can impart their knowledge and support onto hundreds more students and colleagues.”

The day was organised by Orsted’s senior stakeholder advisor, Lauren Little, and community engagement officer, Harriet Farmery, and they were also joined by Helena Gollings, business development consultant for apprenticeships at Grimsby Institute - where the award-winning apprenticeship programme is delivered - and Orsted’s operation apprentice manager, Rob Howes, to talk through the application process and how teachers could support their students with it.

Alex Nightingale, operational hub lead and enterprise coordinator at Greater Lincolnshire LEP said: “The feedback on the Orsted visit has been superb, the teachers left feeling inspired and empowered to talk to their learners about the opportunities in the offshore wind sector. Hopefully the teachers will be able to use what they learned next academic year. Helping to bring the curriculum to life and bridging the gap between education and employment.”

He told how teachers were surprised by the many roles and career opportunities that are available on their schools’ doorsteps, addin there was “excitement to inspire their students to think about the renewable industry as a career path”