​Over the past decade, wind power has seen extraordinary growth in the UK, with an additional 20GW of capacity being created. Wind is regarded as one of the key solutions to the country reaching net zero by 2050.

It will therefore come as no surprise that demand for wind turbine technicians has risen too, with more training courses now available for those who want to pursue a career in wind engineering. 

The rush for wind

Data from 2019 suggests that wind contributed almost 20% of the UK’s power generation, rising to 50% on some days. The turbulent British climate makes us the perfect location for wind generation and PM Boris Johnson has even suggested the UK will be the Saudi Arabia for wind power in the future.

The UK is already home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea One off the East Coast, which has an operational capacity of over 1.2GW and is planned to increase to 6GW.

What do wind turbine technicians do?  

Jobs can be based onshore or offshore and will involve diagnostics, repairs and maintenance on all kinds of turbine systems, including mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems.  

What qualifications are needed?

Most technicians come to the job from an engineering background, either in general mechanical engineering or renewable engineering. It goes without saying that you’ll need to be comfortable working at heights. Most roles require GWO (Wind Turbine Working at Heights & Rescue) certification.

What are the prospects?

Considering that this is a growth industry, the prospects for career development are excellent. Wind turbine technicians can quickly move up to supervisory, operational and training roles.

If you have a renewable engineering background and are interested in working in the wind turbine sector, get in touch with one of our team. We can help you find the right role to develop your career.

See our latest industrial engineering roles.