Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD today announced the launch of Ireland’s New Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan.

Ireland’s Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan is part of a strategic initiative aimed at addressing the growing need for skilled workers in the offshore wind industry.

Speaking today, Minister O’Donovan said:

“There are significant economic benefits to be achieved through the successful development of our offshore wind resources.

This industry will bring jobs to our coastal communities, and to communities across the country. Ensuring we have the right skills in place is essential if we are to maximise these economic benefits.

My Department, and our education system, is already working to support skills development for offshore wind and renewable energy. We have new courses coming online through apprenticeship; upskilling and reskilling courses through the Human Capital Initiative and Springboard+; and we support industry-led training through Skillnet Ireland.

But we need to do more. Budget 2025 has provided €2.3m to support the expansion of skills training essential for the green transition, including in the area of offshore wind. This new Skills Action Plan will place this work on a strategic footing, and ensure we have a framework in place that will allow us to build a sustainable offshore wind workforce by 2030.

The development of this Skills Action Plan shows how my Department is committed to working in close collaboration with partners in industry, the tertiary education sector, and across government to maximise offshore wind employment opportunities through skills development activities.”

This Skills Action Plan is a key output of the cross-government Offshore Wind Energy Programme, a primary objective of which is to ensure that Ireland maximises the economic benefits of offshore wind.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said: ‘‘Over 5,000 people are currently employed in the Irish wind energy industry, this number will more than double by the end of the decade. In the years ahead, it’s clear that we will need thousands of engineers and technicians, apprentices, planners and ecologists, builders and designers.

‘’As we aim to reach our long-term offshore renewable energy targets, it’s vital to ensure that the billions of euros invested in building our offshore wind farms enables the development of green skills and green jobs. This Skills Action Plan will ensure we are investing in the right training programmes and courses, enabling a skilled pipeline of talent to be in place to meet the needs of the sector.

‘‘Through the work of the all-of-government taskforce on offshore wind, we will continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to support the implement of this plan, which will enable a proactive approach to skills development in the offshore wind sector.’’

The Skills Action Plan addresses identified skills shortages in 33 roles required for the development of offshore wind and examines the specific training requirements for these roles, and the typical training provision available in Ireland.

It also identifies where there may be gaps in training provision, and provides recommendations for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and other partners to address these gaps.

To read the full report, go here.

 ENDS
Notes to the Editor
Ireland’s Offshore Wind Ambition

 Ireland aims to deliver at least 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, with an additional 2 GW in development for non-grid uses, including green hydrogen. The long-term target is set at 37 GW by 2050. Achieving these targets necessitates a robust and skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of the offshore wind industry.

Offshore Wind Skills Action Plan

This Skills Action Plan follows the comprehensive report, Building Our Potential: Ireland’s Offshore Wind Skills and Talent Needs, developed in collaboration with Green Tech Skillnet and Wind Energy Ireland and published earlier this year.

The Building Our Potential report identified 42 critical job roles essential for the development of the offshore wind industry in Ireland. Of these, 33 roles face significant recruitment challenges.

In response to this report, The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science commissioned BVG Associates to develop a skills action plan to address the identified skills shortages in Ireland. This report assesses the nature of the challenge for each of the 33 roles, through examining specific training requirements and typical training provision in Ireland. It also identifies where there may be gaps in training provision and provides recommendations for DFHERIS and other partners to address these gaps.

The recommendations of the Action Plan are targeted towards:

  • Attracting experienced workers to meet immediate skills needs
  • Addressing potential provision gaps
  • Promoting long-term workforce growth through attracting inexperienced hires
  • Adapting skills responses to meet emerging needs

Existing Offshore Wind Training and Education

Ireland’s tertiary education sector currently offers a range of courses which are directly relevant to the developing offshore wind industry. These include:

Kerry Education and Training Board is the coordinating provider for the Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship. This 3 year programme commenced in 2022, and leads to a QQI Level 6 award. Although focused on the onshore wind sector, the apprenticeship programme is developing transferable skills which will be directly relevant to offshore wind.

The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 1 complements the core State-funded education and training system and provides free and subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need. The initiative has seen the development of several offshore wind courses at institutions including UCC and TUS.

The National Maritime College of Ireland also offers a range of relevant courses including offshore safety training, and academic programmes in marine engineering, supply chain, and logistics.

Greentech Skillnet, which is co-funded by industry and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, through Skillnet Ireland, supports the workforce development needs of businesses within the renewable energy sector. It offers a number of short upskilling and reskilling courses, and longer training programmes, of direct relevance to offshore wind.

 

Leo Bertels lead our work on  Ireland’s Offshore Wind Skills Action plan.