13 Partners
5 Countries
1 Team
Over a span of four years, our consortium of 13 partners from five countries will unite with a shared mission: to establish and expand the T-shore CoVE for Offshore Wind.
Belgium
The West Flanders Development Agency (POM) supports entrepreneurship in West Flanders by facilitating cooperation between enterprises, centers of innovation and research, education and training organisations, local and regional government organisations.
One of the 4 business units of POM focusses on “Factory for the Future: Blue Energy” POM West-Flanders (BE) has set up an ambitious economic partnership between government, businesses, R&D to support SMEs in their linking to and development in the blue energy sector. POM works on five themes: Infrastructure, SME support, Education & Training, Marketing and R&D. POM has a long track record of supporting businesses and stimulating innovation and has initiated in recent years various initiatives with large SME involvement.
Our main stakeholders in the regional blue energy landscape with whom we are in a structural collaboration relationship – Blue Cluster, Port of Ostend, Belgian Offshore Cluster and several other organizations – are supporting us also in the realization of this project. They will contribute to its success where needed and appropriate. In a regular frequency – each trimester – we hold concertation and progress meetings with our main blue energy stakeholders in which our projects are discussed and the best ways to make them successful.
Belgium is nevertheless its small coast a pioneer in offshore wind – together with other North Sea Region countries – with more than 10 years of track record in operational experience in offshore wind. We have world leading companies in project development, installation, foundations, and grid connection. Authorities, knowledge institutes and companies demonstrate a strong commitment in R&D for offshore renewables. We are proudly exporting our expertise worldwide.
Skilliant is part of the Syntra West Group, a VET school and an in-company training partner for the industry and non-profit organizations, with more than 3000 lecturers spread over 10 locations in Flanders. Skilliant is the specialized partner in training, coaching and advice for companies.
One of the various training and project development domains of Skilliant is the cluster Techniques and Innovation, and more specifically, since 2017, concrete projects involving wind energy and wind turbine technicians have been developed. As a partner within VET WIND II, Skilliant has already contributed to a training pyramid for future technicians in the sector as well as existing staff. This pyramid with learning objectives was fleshed out in subsequent projects in 2018-2020 in the form of training curricula, screening instruments, concrete training trajectories (including in collaboration with the Flemish Agency for Employment), e-learning, tailor-made business trajectories, etc.
Since 2019 Skilliant is a certificated GWO training provider (Global Wind Organisation) and organizes the Basic Technical Training (BTT) for on-offshore wind technicians in Syntra Ostend. In 2022, in collaboration with university colleges Vives, Howest and Ghent University, with the aim of providing every learning need in the sector with the right learning solution, Skilliant is co-operator of the Training Lab Blue Economy at Blue Bridge, the Ostend Science Park. This state-of -the-art lab is part of UPSKILL, an EFRO-project in which investments are made in innovative and high-quality training infrastructure for the blue economy. To this end, they will, among other things, use the most advanced technologies as VR and AR, a simulated wind farm control room, to learn new skills or to update current skills.
Denmark
Hydrogen Valley has more than 15 years of experience in bringing Power-to-X from idea to action and execution. We envision a future where we are able to accelerate the green transition by providing datadriven clarity and insights while inspiring & connecting producers and off-takers. We implement projects, develop business models and concepts, and we uncover opportunities for partnerships and financing. We understand the complexity of project-based tasks and help ensure the right coordination of the project that matches your requirements and needs. Through best-in-class counseling, we strive to drive the European development of production and off-take of PtX and CCUS.
This is done in collaboration with companies, organizations and research institutions. Hydrogen Valley works to attract investments in the area and has so far helped to create more than 200 jobs in North Jutland. The center is located in the CEMTEC business park in Hobro, Denmark, and is financed by Mariagerfjord Municipality as well as project funds from national and international foundations.
In short: we bring Power-to-X all the way from idea to market!
Skive College (SC), a result of the 2017 merger between a business school and Skive Technical School, which has roots dating back to 1871, is a beacon of educational excellence. With over 30 vocational education VET schools spanning EQF levels 3-5, SC offers a comprehensive array of vocational programs, certifications, diplomas, and competency-based qualifications, catering to the dynamic needs of its 1500 annual students and supported by a dedicated team of 280 employees.
In response to the pressing demand for energy solutions and the escalating need for skilled technicians in high-voltage sectors, SC has strategically focused on delivering specialized training in high-voltage cable courses for wind turbines. This initiative aligns with our commitment to addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
Internationalization is at the heart of SC’s mission, as it not only facilitates student exchange programs but actively engages in EU-funded international projects. This commitment has empowered us to amass invaluable expertise in coordinating, analyzing, and offering recommendations to industries, organizations, and public bodies.
SC’s influence extends deep into the Wind Industry, with strong partnerships not only among manufacturers like Vestas and Siemens Gamesa but also with their sub-suppliers. We are proud to offer a comprehensive range of education and courses that span the Wind Offshore High Voltage sector, both onshore and offshore, as well as traditional electricity supply domains.
Our holistic approach to education and industry collaboration shines brightly in our consortium. We proudly engage industry partners from the Wind Industry and extend our reach to companies and organizations contributing to the green energy transition. This approach ensures we cover the full value chain and ecosystem related to Europe’s green energy transformation, with a specific focus on the “new era of offshore” and sector coupling between Renewable Energy and Power-to-X (P2X).
Ireland
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) is a multi-campus technological university in the west and northwest of Ireland that delivers a rich combination of academic and research excellence, quality of life and opportunity. ATU is one of the largest multi-campus universities on the island, serving a diverse group of learners, staff, communities, and organisations from our region and further afield.
Our collaborative approach ensures that we deliver practice-orientated study, and research that seeks to address the major challenges facing society and the world. We are dedicated to enabling sustainable economic, social, and cultural development; connected to our region and with a mindset that reaches far beyond it.
Various ATU campuses, including ATU Donegal are located on the Atlantic where the growth of offshore wind farms is predicted to continue in the next ten years. ATU Donegal was also a partner on VETWINDII – Application KA2 Strategic partnerships Erasmus+ programme that examined training needs for the offshore wind sector. ATU Donegal was the first Irish college to offer a Wind Energy Technician Programme with BZEE accreditation. ATU Donegal is also a partner in the Bryden Centre, a €9.4 million cross-border, renewable energy research centre funded by the EU under the Interreg VA programme. Led by Queen’s University Belfast, the Bryden Centre covers the Northern Ireland, Western Scotland, and the Irish border regions.
Wind Energy Ireland is the representative body for the Irish wind industry, working to promote wind energy as an essential, economical and environmentally friendly part of the country’s low-carbon energy future. Our vision is to lead Ireland to a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035 and place wind energy, and supporting technologies, at the centre of decarbonising our society. We believe that Ireland can – through its enormous on and offshore wind potential – make a key contribution to the continent’s energy supply and help to create an energy-independent Europe.
Ireland’s largest renewable energy organisation working in collaboration with our members to plan, build, operate, and support the development of wind energy and other green, clean and sustainable technologies
Norway
As we move from fossil to renewable energy, there is a great demand for new knowledge, skills, and ways of working together in the renewable energy industry, especially in the wind energy sector. Today, the installed capacity for wind energy has increased rapidly, but there has also been a failure in developing skills to keep pace. Energy innovation and its partners will be part of precisely this problem solution by adding human capacity to the wind industry. Energy Innovation is one of the world’s most comprehensive centres for training, certification, education, business development, innovation, and R&D within onshore and offshore wind power and green technology. We are based in Egersund, on the southwest coast of Norway.
Energy Innovation AS offers training according to Global Wind Organization (GWO) standards for the wind industry and provides training onsite in wind farms. Moreover, we offer on-site rescue/emergency training with local and regional SAR services, air ambulance, ambulance, and fire service for respective regions and wind farm operators both onshore and offshore. We also provide tailormade entry level service technician education for the wind industry for adults in collaboration with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. Finally, we have developed by ourselves some courses tailored to accident management in wind farms. Check out more about our courses at www.energyinnovation.no.
Energy Innovation has a solid private-public collaboration with Dalane Vocational College and the Polytechnic college of Rogaland to develop education and training for the renewable energy sector. We offer workshops for maintenance services for the wind industry onshore and offshore in the new building complex at Egersund Energy Hub, and many companies in the wind sector have already moved in with us at the new building.
In October 2020, we started the Energy Innovation-initiated Horizon 2020 project ROBINSON on integrated energy systems and cuts in greenhouse gases on Eigerøy as the main demo island with 7 million euros in support from the EU. In the summer of 2022, the Erasmus+ Centre of Vocational Excellence in offshore wind and offshore H2 production will start with 4 Mill. Euro in support of the EU. So, we collaborate closely with research institutes nationally and internationally through the EU projects and other national projects.
Our next challenge is setting up a franchise model to establish centres such as Egersund Energy Hub in new OSW markets and build local expertise in a rapidly growing industry where upskilling and reskilling are essential. We have so far signed contracts with partners in New York and New Orleans, and Letter of Intent with Szczecin in Poland, and Türkiye. We are in dialogue with partners in several other nations. The centre in New York will be in operation during Q2 2023, and New Orleans in Q4 2023. We aim to build a solid global collaboration network for training and development for the worldwide on- and offshore and green technology industry.
Fagskolen Rogaland (Rogaland Polytechnic College)
Fagskolen Rogaland (Rogaland Polytechnic College) is a tertiary vocational education provider, located by the coast in south-western Norway. FR/RPC provides tertiary VET within technical, maritime, health and upbringing and economic-administrative educations on EQF level 5. Currently approx. 1300 students.
FR collaborates with Energy Innovation based on our mutual connection to the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, and common interest in establishing state of the art learning facilities and local contents in the education and training system aimed at meeting the needs for an emerging sector.
For both the industry and the public VET-system it is of high importance to develop strong ties, since both contents and state-of-the-art methods based on input from an international industry, is required to ensure the relevance and usefulness of our training programmes.
Today Rogaland is perhaps the region having been transformed the most by the Norwegian oil and gas industry – and is actively working to ensure that both competence spill-over for the oil and gas sector is considered as well as seeking out new paths to develop local industry.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands
Katapult, part of Platform Talent voor Technologies, is based in the Netherlands. At Katapult, we believe that the key to building flourishing educational institutions is cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with the commercial sectors by forming public-private partnerships. We are a learning network that supports these public-private partnerships with tools and guidance so they can build robust organizations that will benefit students, educational institutions, industry, and society. Katapult participated in two of the pilot Centers of Vocational Excellence and is currently involved with multiple CoVEs. Furthermore, the Katapult network is spreading across Europe, including the members of the CoVE Community of Practice, hosted by Katapult.
Noorderpoort is a vocational training and education centre, offering high quality (technical) vocational training to over 14.000 students in the city and region of Groningen. Using innovative training methodologies, working with all that technology has to offer, and embedded in strong pedagogical-didactic learning methodologies, are aspects that make Noorderpoort a strong partner.
Being the largest VET College in the Northern part of the Netherlands, ROC Noorderpoort plays an important role in further developing that area into a confident, strong, and inviting region with a healthy economy, low unemployment rates and attractive living conditions. Our schools, most of which are in the province of Groningen, account for 6 % of the
professional population each year. We have organized our education in 15 different schools. We teach around 14.000 part- and fulltime students with a staff of 1400. The main fields of education are energy and maritime; health and social care; wellness, hospitality, tourism and travelling; automotive and logistics; business and administration; art, theatre and media, dance; laboratory- and process technology and engineering. Noorderpoort teaches nearly 200 different courses on EQF level 1,2,3,4 and some on level 5. We also have students with special needs, they are found in each of the levels. Noorderpoort is working on a new strategic plan, with Lifelong Learning as its main theme.
Practical Learning Environments and sustainability. Following from this plan, Noorderpoort aims to be a ‘learning hub’ for lifelong learning. Preparing, educating, and coaching towards a fitting profession. First and foremost, Noorderpoort offers vocational teaching on a secondary level. We offer students adequate professional training and a solid basis for further professional and personal development in our (multicultural) society.
We also aim to help our youngsters with special needs to find suitable professions. We organize staff mobilities with our Noorderpoort staff training academy focused on Lifelong Learning and professional individual- and team development. Learning outcomes are recognized and registered.
Staff’s international experiences help students to successfully achieve LO’s at home and abroad. Mobilities help staff to make students internationally competent. Staff is exposed to new teaching methods and vocational contexts which they can apply at Noorderpoort.
Everything we and our students do is set against the background of our society that is becoming increasingly international. Noorderpoort therefore aims to find, establish, and maintain sustainable liaisons with employers, municipalities and other stakeholders in and outside the city and region. For these we aim to be a ‘development partner for life’ in professional education, career, and knowledge. Noorderpoort feels herself part of the local and regional society and operates in close cooperation with her surroundings.
Scalda
Scalda is a school for vocational educational training (mbo in Dutch) and adult education in the south-west of the Netherlands. Scalda provides accessible and versatile education within 16 disciplines. This includes among othersEducation in Sports, Exercise and Dance, technical education in ICT, Engineering, Shipping and Transport & Logistics and education as Hospitality and Tourism. Education at Scalda is organized and housed on a small scale. Education is provided by teaching teams that implement some related programs and supervise the students taking these programs.
Scalda is situated near the port of Vlissingen in the south-west of the Netherlands, respectively, where the offshore windfarms are built and where there is a need for skilled workforce. Scalda is a large training institutions with courses in almost every field, with experience in public-private cooperation and in Offshore Wind education. Scalda has good national and international contacts and participated in the VETWIND II project.
Scalda has a fully equipped Wind Lab where students will learn to work with specific components during the Wind Energy Study Route. There is also a state-of-the-art wind turbine simulator where students can learn and practice different techniques with the simulator, the Nacelle. There are also opportunities to learn monitoring and perform failure analysis of wind turbines. Scalda also uses a real wind turbine on site in our training program. In addition, Scalda cooperates with the leading companies in this sector to provide students with internships.
It is convenient that Scalda’s courses are practically located in Zeeland, close to the companies working on the turbines in the port and close to the offshore parks.
TCNN is an independent foundation of independent hands-on advisors, not for profit, governed by industry representatives. Our expert and highly experienced project leaders understand complex innovation issues and speak the language of the entrepreneur. No big reports or long meetings, just get to work. Project managers at TCNN have the (international) experience to guide innovation and growth processes at entrepreneurs from A to Z, to find cooperation partners and to unburden the innovative entrepreneurs. Doing things, arranging things, that’s our job and we do it well and with great pleasure.
WCM is the network for smart maintenance in the Netherlands. The objective is radical: towards 100% predictable maintenance in Dutch industry. We do this by developing, disseminating, and applying smart maintenance knowledge. Specifically for our members, but also for society. Our smart maintenance projects contribute to an extended asset lifetime, better mobility, the necessary energy transition, knowledge development and, finally, Dutch competitiveness. In short, we believe that smart maintenance is an important step towards a guaranteed quality of life in the future.
We carry out cross-sector innovation projects, develop an educational program and work on an active network in which asset owners, service suppliers, knowledge and research institutions and the government participate. Through our link with the FME, we also actively lobby to get the topics of smart maintenance, smart asset management and smart services higher on the political agenda.
Important pillars are the WCM Fieldlab projects in which an entire sector is challenged to accelerate innovations by initiating and facilitating research and development projects. WCM’s Smart Industry Fieldlab Zephyros is aimed at optimizing the maintenance of sustainable energy assets in the North Sea. We are alert to and detect maintenance challenges, stimulate, and facilitate cooperation with specialized market parties (often also niche start-ups) and knowledge institutions, actively involve education for the purpose of training maintenance professionals of the future, facilitate tests and demonstrations in our living labs, provide in expert judgment and actively contribute to the dissemination of the developed knowledge through, among other things, our knowledge portal WCM Vector.
This and various other field labs have received the Smart Industry label from the FME and thus contribute to a ‘smarter Netherlands’.
T-shore Consortium
