In February, the next ten participants began training as part of the fourth edition of the ‘Wind – Mine of Opportunity’ programme, which supports the re-training of miners as wind turbine technicians and service technicians. Participants who complete the training will obtain an internationally recognised Global Wind Organisation certification. Six editions of the project have been planned. The training is organised and financed by EDF Renewables Polska in cooperation with Vulcan Training & Consultancy and the Company Restrukturyzacja Kopalń. For interested employees leaving the coal mining sector, participation in the courses is free of charge.

These are skills that will be expected by the RES market in Poland for several decades to come. Technicians and service technicians will be needed both in the development of onshore wind energy and in the development of the offshore wind energy programme in the Baltic Sea. By organising successive editions of free training courses for miners, we want to take part of the responsibility for the realisation of a fair energy transformation of Poland – says Alicja Chilińska – Zawadzka, CEO of EDF Renewables Polska.

Dozens of miners have already taken part in all editions of the programme – all of them have been offered jobs in the RES sector, and a dozen of them have already taken up employment, which today on the European labour market is promoted by high salaries and stable employment in a growing industry. According to estimates, the developing RES sector in Poland will need several tens of thousands of workers – and the European one up to 200,000.

Employees leaving the mines may constitute a large part of the specialists that the RES market needs in the area of both wind and solar energy production – adds Alicja Chilińska Zawadzka. – We know very well how important it is for a fair transition to provide employees of the ‘old energy sector’ with opportunities for professional development so that they remain active participants of the labour market in this sector of the economy.

EDF Renewables Polska is implementing the programme in cooperation with the experienced training company Vulcan Training & Consultancy, and the project’s partner is the Company Restrukturyzacja Kopalń, which plays a significant role in the Polish energy transition. The cooperation, which is calculated to last several years, will result in miners who leave the mines being prepared to work as wind turbine technicians and service technicians.

The training offered free of charge to employees in the mining sector lasts three weeks and is in line with the standards of the Global Wind Organisation, the Office of Technical Inspection and the Association of Polish Electricians. This means that those who pass the course will be able to work on the installation and servicing of turbines not only in Poland, but all over the world.

Source: EDF Renewables