Gdynia Maritime University would like to invite you to the “Competencies for Offshore Wind” conference on May 17th.
The attainment of global, European, and Polish offshore wind ambitions is largely dependent on the availability of qualified personnel. The offshore wind sector in Europe alone is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the next decade, and thousands of jobs from a wide spectrum of professions will be available in the Polish offshore wind industry in the coming years. However, the question arises: Will relevant professionals be available in the job market?
The “Competencies for Offshore Wind” conference aims to address this crucial question by bringing together experts, researchers, practitioners, and relevant stakeholders from the offshore wind sector. The conference will serve as a discussion forum for the offshore wind and education communities on the provision of qualified personnel for the long-term development of the offshore wind sector.
One of the significant highlights of the conference will be the discussion on how Poland can benefit from international experience in developing competencies for offshore wind – on vocational, university, as well as postgraduate and specialist levels.
Tomasz Harackiewicz, Deputy Head of Offshore Wind Energy Centre at Gdynia Maritime University commented – An important element of the conference will be the reference to the experience of countries that are more advanced in offshore wind energy development than Poland. Invited guests from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and France will present their experiences of competence development at different levels of education. It is worth hearing out their successes and failures, as these countries have paid a price for being pioneers. Their models of education and personnel training can certainly be used in Poland, and our conference provides an opportunity to discuss which of these foreign experiences we can transfer to Poland.
The exchange of ideas and knowledge between experts from different countries can significantly contribute to the successful development and management of the offshore wind industry in Poland as well as in other countries in Europe.
Another critical topic to be discussed during the conference is whether the education system is ready to provide adequate competencies for the dynamic offshore wind sector. This discussion is particularly relevant since the competencies required for offshore wind are constantly evolving, and it is essential to ensure that the education system is keeping up with these changes.
One of the debates will focus on the key bottleneck of the wind sector that is vocational education. The Pomeranian Offshore Renewable Energy Competence Centre (Pomorskie Centrum Kompetencji Morskiej Energetyki Odnawialnej) that is one of the flagship projects in the Pomeranian region is the Partner of this debate.
Agnieszka Rodak, CEO of Rumia Invest Park, that initiated the Centre indicated – During the discussion we want to emphasize the importance of vocational education. The signal from investors is very clear – if the wind farm projects in the Baltic are to be realized according to ambitious plans, the area of education is what we should focus on above all. This is a big challenge, but also an opportunity for the development of many companies in our region, which, thanks to a well-prepared workforce, will be able to participate in the supply chain for offshore wind farms. In turn, young people can benefit by getting a job in an attractive, fast-growing and well-paid sector. What is worth emphasizing – how we should prepare for these challenges will be discussed by practitioners.
The “Competencies for Offshore Wind” conference will be an informative and thought-provoking event that will explore the future of the offshore wind industry in Poland and beyond. This conference will offer a platform for networking ,as well as exchange of ideas and knowledge with experts and stakeholders from around the world.
Tomasz Harackiewicz added – an additional attraction after the conference is the opportunity to get acquainted with the attractive elements of UMG’s teaching facilities. Participants will be able to attend a screening at the planetarium or take a virtual cruise to a wind farm using professional simulators at UMG’s Department of Navigation.
BalticWind.EU is a media partner of the conference. We look forward to seeing you in Gdynia and the Gdynia Maritime University for this exciting event.
To register for the conference, please visit: https://umg.edu.pl/en/conference-competencies-offshore-wind
