Ocean Winds virtual reality plan to train Scots welding

Funded by the offshore wind company Ocean Winds and delivered by Energy Skills Partnership, Scotland’s college sector agency in Scotland for energy transition, they are part of a drive to ensure that the skills required for major renewables projects in the pipeline are available.  

Mark Baxter, Caledonia Project director at Ocean Winds, said: “We’ve got around ten years or so to prepare ourselves for large-scale gigawatt floating offshore wind and we wanted to tackle skills gaps. One of the things that came up quite quickly in our research is that we just don’t have enough welders in the UK anymore. The expertise has largely moved overseas. Therefore we need to try to bring that skillbase back to Scotland and the UK.”

Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive tool that uses digital technology to enhance real-world experiences with computer-generated content.  The headsets will see students train whilst using tools and physical objects and give them access to environments similar to those they can expect when working in the offshore industry.

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This equipment has also been used by Mercedes and BMW to train in welding for their cars. 

The AR project forms part of broader strategic relationship between Ocean Winds, and ESP to ensure colleges are aligned with the skills needs of the growing offshore wind sector.

Jim Brown, Director, Energy Skills Partnership, added: “This funding from Caledonia presents a unique opportunity for local students to develop the skills required to work on offshore wind projects such as those being developed in their region.

“As well as equipping students with competencies they need for their future careers, this collaboration will also address recognised skills gaps within the industry, helping to develop a workforce capable of reaching net zero targets.”

The training experience, Mr Baxter described, is “realistic”, and moves through stages of training, until as the workers mature, they can start integrating the skills into real-life situations.

“It’s not purely virtual reality, it’s augmented," he said. "You have a headset on, a toolset, a device you use with your hand to do the welding and an object that can be manufactured to be any part of a potential asset that you might be building. If it was Mercedes it would be parts of the bonnet that you would be welding together, if it were a windfarm it would be the foundations, or other welded structures.”

Electric van delivering welding training via VR headsets (Image: Ocean Winds)

Welding was once a relatively common skill in Scotland. In its heyday, Clydeside alone had around 60,000 people, and welders were considered ‘the kings’ of shipyard workers.

Mr Baxter said: “We’ve lost a lot of that manufacturing capability over time. You can see it both in Teeside and around the UK where heavy manufacturing has disappeared to other jurisdictions.”

Ocean Winds, which has been developing offshore wind for over ten years, has previously found that attempts to recruit and source locally were hampered by the fact companies had "too low a base to deliver the programme that we had".

“What we’ve learned," Mr Baxter said, "from that experience on our previous windfarms is that you must start early. You have to take the opportunity early to be prepared for when it arises.”

He added: “With a portfolio of offshore wind farms based in the Moray Firth, this agreement bolsters Ocean Winds’ long-standing relationships with NESCOL Fraserburgh campus and UHI Moray College, as both campuses are based in locations that will be instrumental in the construction of the Caledonia offshore wind farm."

However, it is not only welders that will be needed by the growing offshore wind industry.

Mr Baxter pointed out that there is a wide range of green skills needed for the development of a windfarm. "In the early stage of a project," he said,  "we’re crying out for people who are involved in planning and consenting, as well as people with the environmental skills that you need to understand and potential impacts. Then the design phase of the project, so engineers of all topics, mechanical, electrical, structural.”

Mr Baxter noted that a crucial decision for projects will be which parts of the structure are best made in the UK and Scotland and which imported. “A key question is which components we wish to develop the capacity and capability within Scotland or the UK.”