The first miners who have completed the previous editions of the training courses are already working on wind turbines. More can sign up for the fourth edition under the ‘Wind – A Mine of Opportunities’ programme organised by EDF Renewables Polska in cooperation with Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń, Polish mine restructuring company, and delivered by Vulcan Training & Consultancy.
We can see that our work and our involvement in the Polish energy transition makes sense. The numbers speak for themselves. There are many people willing to participate in the EDF Renewables-funded training courses. The percentage of miners who find employment in the industry right after becoming wind turbine technicians is also very high – emphasises Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka, President of the Management Board of EDF Renewables Polska – the initiator and funder of the programme “Wiatr – Kopalnia możliwości”.
So far, three groups of miners who applied during the recruitment process in Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń have already undergone training under the ‘Wind – A Mine of Opportunities’ programme created by EDF Renewables Polska. All of them received job offers and some took up employment in the area of new green energy. More interested people can still apply for the next rounds of the free training programme – the next one will start on the 3rd of February 2025 and will last another three weeks. Recruitment continues until the 20th of January, with an information meeting for those interested scheduled for the 15th of January at 10:00 am at the SRK S.A. Management Office Building in Bytom.
The project, created by EDF Renewables Polska, aims to support miners and other employees leaving the mining sector in gaining skills and knowledge that will enable them to change jobs and become competent in operating and servicing onshore wind farm installations. The course is a response to the RES sector’s growing demand for employees – adds Alicja Chilińska-Zawadzka.
The partner of the programme is the state-owned Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń, which receives mines where the deposit has been exhausted or mining is not economically justified.
Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń plays a key role in the transformation of the region. And this includes professional transformation. In the face of the restructuring of the mining industry, competences acquired through such training help miners to find their place in the changing labour market, in the new energy sector and to gain a profession which guarantees attractive professional opportunities – says Jarosław Wieszołek, President of the Management Board of Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń.
The training programme, planned for several years, will result in the preparation of miners who leave the mines to work as wind turbine technicians and service technicians.
Our aim, as implementers of the training, is to maximise the potential of the miners taking part in the programme. We want to provide them not only with the knowledge and skills they need to work in the renewable energy industry, but also show them how they can use their previous experience in a new context. Every step towards green energy is a step towards a better future, both for them and for the sector as a whole – adds Artur Ambrożewicz, CEO of Vulcan Training & Consultancy.
A fair energy transition is currently a huge challenge for coal regions. According to expert estimates, up to tens of thousands of jobs will be created in the renewable energy sector over the next several years, while at the end of 2023, Poland’s largest coal company, PGG, employed just over 37,000 employees.
