The first edition of the postgraduate course “Education for sustainable development: offshore wind energy” conducted at the University of Gdańsk UG by the Center for Sustainable Development together with UG’s Research Centre for Marine Economy (Centrum Badań nad Gospodarką Morską) concluded with a ceremonial meeting of the study’s graduates with the Vice – Rector for Cooperation and Development, dr hab. Sylwia Mrozowska, Prof. UG, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, PhD Krzysztof Szczepaniak, Director of the Research Centre for Marine Economy and Head of Postgraduate Studies Dr. Dorota Pyć, Prof. UG, as well as a representative of Polenergia, Paweł Mawduk, and Vice President of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society, Jakub Budzyński.
The meeting was held on 20.07.2023 at the UG Centre for Sustainable Development, and was held in a pleasant atmosphere. In short speeches there were many arguments justifying the necessity of interdisciplinary education in the field of renewable energy. It was emphasized that in Poland the significant benefits of the emerging offshore wind energy sector include the creation of new jobs, and representatives of various industries involved in offshore projects cooperating with the administration and stakeholders. For this cooperation to be effective, the so-called soft competencies of employees are important. Postgraduate studies conducted at the University of Gdańsk “Education for sustainable development: offshore wind energy” is the only study in Poland that is focused on building soft competencies in offshore.
– We are very happy that today, we can jointly celebrate the completion of the first edition of our studies. I hope that they have met your expectations. We continue to develop our offshore education offer at UG. We have organized the second edition of the OWE postgraduate program, and there will be others. We have established cooperation with, among others, Polenergia and the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society – said the Vice – Rector for Cooperation and Development, dr hab. Sylwia Mrozowska, Prof. UG.
– The first edition of the MEW postgraduate program is unique and motivating for us lecturers because of your involvement. You asked various questions and shared your insights, which helped to create a truly creative atmosphere in the classes, for which I would like to thank you very much – said the Head of the program, dr hab. Dorota Pyć, Prof. UG.
Then, the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development, PhD Krzysztof Szczepaniak, congratulated the graduates on their graduation and noted the great importance of the offshore sector in the economic development of coastal regions. Meanwhile, Paweł Mawduk, Offshore Wind Project Manager at Polenergia, talked about the need to involve not only large companies, but also medium and small enterprises in offshore wind energy. Finally, Jakub Budzyński of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society drew attention to the dynamic development of the offshore sector and its huge demand for human capital – not only for people with science majors, but also for humanists.
Cover of a book with the same title as the postgraduate course, namely “Education for sustainable development: offshore wind energy”; Photo: University of Gdańsk
An exceptionally nice moment for the graduates was the presentation of a book bearing the same title as the postgraduate studies, namely “Education for sustainable development: offshore wind energy”. This is a special book, because it consisted of the theses of the students of the first edition of the study, in which their authors presented the results of their research and their own thoughts on offshore wind energy. The publication is evidence of good cooperation and communication between postgraduate students, academics and offshore wind power specialists from business.
The UG Center for Sustainable Development is implementing the Education for Sustainable Development program aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in the document “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. As part of the program, the first edition of thematic, interdisciplinary postgraduate courses on offshore wind energy (OWE) was launched at UG in March 2022. The study program includes, among others: law in offshore wind energy, management of offshore wind potential, safety and control of offshore wind power generation and maritime spatial planning, as well as offshore wind in the energy transition. In March 2023, the second edition of the postgraduate program was launched (https://czrug.ug.edu.pl/studia-podyplomowe/mew/). The next edition is scheduled to be launched in March 2024. We sincerely invite you to join us!
Source: University of Gdańsk
