Castrol to Close Critical Skills Gap with Launch of Wind Academy
Castrol, the leading provider of lubricants to the wind energy industry, has announced the launch of the Castrol Wind Academy to address critical skills shortage in wind energy.
The academy is a multi-channel training programme designed to up-skill wind energy operations and maintenance (O&M) technician teams with the latest insights, technologies, processes and examples of how best practices in O&M can improve operational efficiency, equipment life and profitability.
Maintenance teams are increasingly faced with a confluence of challenges in the industry; the reduction of subsidies, the end of warranties, and the development of new technologies. It is more critical than ever for technicians to keep their skills up to date in order to preserve wind farm competitiveness and profitability. As it stands, 78% of wind energy stake holders stated that finding suitably trained staff was either ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’.
With continuous pressure to reduce Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), operations technicians and site managers are expected to simultaneously improve efficiencies and maintain up-time in wind turbine operations. However, the rapid growth of the wind industry means there is a growing skills gap, with the need for technicians and site managers in wind operations set to triple in the next three to four years.
“Operations technicians and site managers are at the heart of the wind energy industry,” said S. Ramchander, Chief Marketing Officer and Global VP of Marketing at Castrol & BP Lubricants. “It is important that they are up-skilled and trained to implement best practice operations on site as conditions in the market are intensified over the coming years,” he added.
“The Castrol Wind Academy has been launched in response to the core challenges being faced in the industry and to directly address wind energy’s skills shortage,” continued Ramchander. “The Academy aims to empower operations teams to effectively support the growth of the industry through education, certification and best practice.”
Aimed at technicians with 5 years’ experience or less, the Academy is a capability building programme for technicians and site managers. It is made up of online programmes, seminars, webinars and face to face training sessions.
The course consists of three stages, the first of which is an online training course to educate technicians on Wind O&M basics, from gearbox and drive train technologies to predictive maintenance. The second stage sees advanced topics taught via a virtual class and the third, an in-person training session on site.
Stage 1 and 2 can be completed at a time that suits the technician, to ensure a convenient learning experience. On completion of the course, technicians will be awarded a certification by the Castrol Wind Academy.
“The Castrol Wind Academy pilot course was very successful and, building on a collaborative development process, we are now looking forward to welcoming our first intake of technician teams into the Academy course,” Charudatta Joshi, Global Marketing Offer Development Manager at Castrol Lubricants, said.
Castrol Wind Academy is now taking applicants. Please visit https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/industrial/offers-and-services/castrol-academy.html for more information.
About the Castrol Wind Academy
The Castrol Wind Academy integrates industry expertise to deliver a comprehensive, multi-channel operations and maintenance (O&M) training programme. The Academy equips wind energy site managers and O&M technicians with the latest knowledge and skills to perform at the highest level while getting the best from the products, tools and services they use every day.
The Castrol Wind Academy is a collaboration between Castrol and its JV partner ONYX InSight to provide wind turbine maintenance solutions for today’s industry challenges. They combine turbine drivetrain engineering, predictive engineering and lubricants expertise to empower technicians and site managers to achieve higher efficiency and reduced Levelized Cost of Energy.
The Castrol Wind Academy is committed to alternative energy and a low-carbon future.
To find out more, visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/industrial/lubricants-by-sector/wind.html or https://www.castrol.com/industrial