wind energy job

breno69

hi,
i'm currently a qualified electrician living in ireland due to way country is gone am finding it very difficult find work,so im now looking to get into the wind turbine technician job sector but currently not sure how to go about this.
Just wondering does anyone know if there re companies out there that would be willing take me on and train me.I'd be willing work basic wages just to gain the experience in it.
Thanks again hope some one can help.:)

Agent_99

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/2000-jobs-to-be-created-by-element-power-in-8bn-wind-energy-project-3171549.html


Try this company, they are in the news today.

FrPhelimYoung

Off the top of my head here are some companies who may have openings:

Vestas - biggest manufacturer in the world with about ~600 turbines installed in Ireland

Enercon - have installed >100 turbines in Ireland in the last 3 years. A big player in the Irish market recently.

Gamesa

Nordex - have recently won contracts to install approx 160MW for Bord Gais & ESBi over the next 2 years

B9 - I think these guys do turbine maintenance

GES - Spanish company. I think were part of Gamesa. They also do turbine service and maintenance work independently.

Check out Letterkenny IT. They offer turbine technician training courses.

Also check out the Irish wind industry trade body - IWEA. Also UK version BWEA.

There are a lot of people like yourself see the wind industry as an attractive proposition. So it's a fairly competitive market. You really should get out there and try and learn about the industry in Ireland and obviously learn more about what a service tech really does and the skills required. This kind of attitude will really impress an employer in this niche industry.

I've heard the odd story about fellas with trades ringing up about jobs etc... and when asked why they want to work as a wind turbine technician they reply "ah shur just to try something different.". They'll run a mile from that kind of person. Get out there and research the industry. Get onto LinkedIn. Some really good groups on that site for the wind industry.

I'm writing this on me phone so apologies for the maybe curt nature of my reply. If I think of anything else when I get home I'll be sure to post.

Good Luck....

PS I take that latest press release regarding wind development and jobs with a pinch of salt. Very ambitious project and I've seen far less ambitious ones fall on their face due to do many factors whether that be planning, finance etc....so much can go wrong and a lot of these announcements are made for populist and political reasons. At least that's been my experience since I've worked in the industry.

nogoodnamesleft

FrPhelimYoung wrote: »

Off the top of my head here are some companies who may have openings:

Vestas - biggest manufacturer in the world with about ~600 turbines installed in Ireland

Enercon - have installed >100 turbines in Ireland in the last 3 years. A big player in the Irish market recently.

Your barking up the wrong tree with Vestas as they announced earlier in the year that they would be laying off about 2300 employees.

http://www.steelguru.com/international_news/Downsizing_deals_Vestas_to_lay_off_more_than_2300_jobs_worldwide/246076.html


Enercon is expanding in Ireland and have a base in Tralee, Co Kerry. You will most likely need HV experience judging by the job specs I have seen in the past.

I personally do not see the value in the technicians courses as most turbine manufacturers will have their own specific designs. For example some of the courses that I have seen use Vestas turbines for practical exercises like on the job training. However the likes of Enercon do not have a gearbox (as it has a higher efficiency).

I think having a good attitude and a willingness to learn would be the most important. Wind turbines are extremely complex pieces of machinery from a mechanical and electrical engineering perspective and an awareness of this would be advantageous in any prospective interview.

FrPhelimYoung

breno69 wrote: »

hi,
i'm currently a qualified electrician living in ireland due to way country is gone am finding it very difficult find work,so im now looking to get into the wind turbine technician job sector but currently not sure how to go about this.
Just wondering does anyone know if there re companies out there that would be willing take me on and train me.I'd be willing work basic wages just to gain the experience in it.
Thanks again hope some one can help.:)

Might be worthwhile checking out this IWEA event in September. "Facilitation Workshop - Entering the Wind Industry as a Technician"

http://www.iwea.com/index.cfm?page=viewEvent&id=185&year=2012&month=9

It's free too!!!

IrishLad2012

nogoodnamesleft wrote: »

Enercon is expanding in Ireland and have a base in Tralee, Co Kerry. You will most likely need HV experience judging by the job specs I have seen in the past.

I have a friend who is working with Enercon the last 6 months,just been made permanent.He is 25 and did his apprentice as a residential electrician(the good old days ).He worked in residential for about 4 years and went to Oz.He spent 6 months there,3 months of which he worked on wind turbines.
Not a whole lot of wind turbine experience,he came back and got the job with them and he loves it.He would be a bright lad and would beam confidence in an interview.They were interviewing recently but have closed applications for now.

Definitely would recommend you to attend the FREE IWEA event.

danthefan

I'm currently working in this area. While I didn't take the particular route myself, the turbine course in LYIT seems to be a great way to get into the industry. The company I work for has taken on about 10 new technicians in the last year and I think 8 of them were from that course. It involves a work placement and people from it have been hired by other companies too.

jojo2012

I have registered for a course with Wind Skillnet in Naas. They are running a course for the unemployed and its free. Speakers from Enercon, Vestas and Siemens will talk about how to enter the wind industry http://www.iwea.com/index.cfm?page=viewEvent&id=185&year=2012&month=9

alan86

jojo2012 wrote: »

I have registered for a course with Wind Skillnet in Naas. They are running a course for the unemployed and its free. Speakers from Enercon, Vestas and Siemens will talk about how to enter the wind industry http://www.iwea.com/index.cfm?page=viewEvent&id=185&year=2012&month=9

Do u think this will be good?i am working part time as a domestic sparky but it is very up and down. Looking to try something else more steady. Think i might take the day off work to go to this.

Feeder

Did anyone else who applied can any confirmation via email/post ?

I applied via email but got no reply to say I had a place, I think I will ring later to see if I need to post off that form.

Hopefully it will be worth it, even if its just to get a few contacts it would be great

alan86

I emailed aswell and herd nothing back. Did u hear anything?

Feeder

alan86 wrote: »

I emailed aswell and herd nothing back. Did u hear anything?

Yes, got confirmation today for the 2 free courses I applied to.

I emailed again and got a reply within the hour.

The email address is given on the PDF

jojo2012

I think this would be a really good day. I was in contact with them and I know they are holding a large number of places for the unemployed.

alan86

Got in contact today i am all booked in.

stevielenihan

I wonder can somebody get work experince with a wind turbine company?

Wind sparky

Mc Nally's crane hire/ Windhoist, believe it or not they are 1 of the biggest installers of turbines in Ireland, uk, Europe, Australia and Africa, they are expanding big time and do a lot of work for Siemens, vestas, nordex, there's a lot of travel involved, the hours are long, the work is hard, it's not this fairy tale it's made out to be, but it's work and plenty of it! It really would only suit a single man as you'd be away for up to 4 weeks at a time, but be warned, if your not into getting up at the crack of dawn and working in tough environments until late into the night, because the wind speed is down, this job isn't for you and you won't last a week! But they are the way into the wind energy sector, for people with little experience. Look up,Windhoist.com. The course in lyit, pile of crap, forget about it, you might get a job from it if your lucky! Hope that helps