Category: GWO training

The industry is heavily focused on technician certification right now as standards such as GWO are adopted across the sector. However certification is simply a pass to get through the door, what comes next is what defines the success of a technician in the role.

STL USA has created full-service training for wind technicians, a training framework that outlines a clear pathway of progression from beginner through to advanced skills and competencies. These programs are highly adaptive to an individual company’s requirements, containing a complete range of wind technician training courses and work as a blueprint for how they see their workforce developing over time as we all drive towards better quality and the rewards that this brings.

As the industry matures ongoing training and development will only increase in importance as it becomes a clear route for companies to retain and win new projects through their ability to perform and exceed objectives. STL USA is already working with a raft of leaders in the wind sector, leaders who understand the role this plays in cementing their place in the industry to take advantage of the opportunities fully that major growth brings.

What do we mean by full-service wind technician training

At STL USA we are dedicated to training the technician to do the very best job, in the safest way possible. Respecting the fact that people are at the very core of this industry, real people with friends, families and responsibilities, keeps us focused on the task at hand – equipping technicians with the skills and training to enable them to fulfil those responsibilities and go home to their families every day. That isn’t done by ticking boxes, and it is never about meeting the minimum.

We are lucky that our industry has a unified safety standardization, but at STL USA we don’t see that as a goal, we see certification as the baseline. A person can attain their required GWO certifications without ever having set foot in a wind turbine. So, we need to think about the wider job we are actually asking them to do and providing them with the skills and competencies to do it well. That’s where full-service training comes into play.

We work directly with companies to ensure we fully understand their unique requirements from the people they employ, spending time and energy to get beneath the surface and build training programs that are tailored to support wind technicians throughout the entire lifetime of their careers. The results are motivated technicians who perform above expectations for their employers, a win win.

Pathways for technician skills and competency

Establishing clear outcomes from training. This sounds simple enough, but in our experience, it’s so often overlooked. We start with a concise audit of our customer’s workforce, measuring against the expected skills a technician should have based on role and experience. Understanding exactly what technicians can and can’t do is vital, not just for developing training programs, but also for their companies so they can accurately manage the work they do. Once we understand where we are from a skills and competence perspective we then work with each company to map out where we want to be and the training pathway we need to follow to get there.  Integrated training programs are then developed incorporating a range of modules that STL USA deliver, internal training and third-party training designed for each wind tech throughout their lifecycle, from beginner to intermediate, all the way through to advanced. As mentioned previously, we see certification as a necessary starting point. Achieving the required standardized certificates gets a person through the door, but in the same way, you wouldn’t expect a surgeon to operate just from reading the theory and procedures in a textbook, technicians need tailor-made, ongoing skills and competency training to do their job well.

Adaptive programs based on employers needs

We treat every single client differently, as we know they all have varying needs and objectives. One shoe fits all just isn’t going to help anyone smash their objectives. We work alongside employers to establish exactly what they want and then build out bespoke training programs to meet those needs. This starts with an assessment phase, which we believe is vital to establishing the real-life competency of the workforce. We can then create a flexible, unified program that incorporates a multitude of disciplines and deliver that in partnership with our client on an ongoing basis.

We are all aware of the rapid growth the wind industry is currently experiencing and with that comes fast-paced changes, particularly in terms of the technology being rolled out regularly. Keeping up with these changes is hard enough for clients, let alone having the time and experience to consider how those changes affect the training requirements and skills development of their wind technicians. Working with a leading training provider like STL USA means that you can tap into decades of expertise with access to a training team at the forefront of the industry, whose job is to ensure your workforce can confidently embrace these changes and incorporate advanced learnings and skills into their daily working life.

As the requirements for training for increased in line with the industry growth in the USA OEM, sowners and ISPs are increasingly looking to more cost efficient models to support the development of their workforse. Onsite GWO training courses are a great way to reduce overheads but also have some clear advantages through the addition of bolt on training modules and use of the realworld environment to enhance learning objectives and better engage students.

STL USA has a long history of training onsite not just in the USA but around the world, delivering a range of training for customers including GWO, electrical safety and working with teams on rescue plans.

What courses are available on-site?

Safety courses are the main focus of on-site training as technical courses tend to have better learning outcomes in a more controlled environment, aside from the fact that most owners are less keen for techs to loosen bolts and play around with components in a live environment! To this end the range of courses covered by STL USA onsite includes:

• GWO Basic Safety Training: Training includes the modules; First Aid, Fire Awareness, Manual Handling and Working at Height.
• GWO Advanced Rescue: Hub and NAcelle, Single Hub and Nacelle for a total of 4 modules
• Qualified Electrical Worker to standard NFPA 70E (Low and High Voltage): A Siemens approved face-to-face version of the popular electrical safety training designed specifically for wind turbine technicians.

How is on-site training delivered?

Having delivered on-site training over many years the STL USA team have arrived at the optimal training set-up for on-site delivery.

STL USA on-site training uses our custom mobile training unit which allows for both GWO Basic Safety and GWO Advanced Rescue tuition, this is supplemented by theory/classroom sessions. Obviously sites don’t have classrooms so any meeting room or similar is normally sufficient.

Alongside the mobile training unit STL USA will also use a wind turbine if available. this allows us to apply a teach and practice approach to rescue exercises. Using the controlled envirnmoent to teach the necessary skills and then going up tower to practice what has been learnt.

Technicians really value this experience as it gives them the opportunity to test the skills they have learnt in the actual environment where one day they may need to be used.

The on-site advantage

GWO on-site training brings with it a range of advantages, these include:

1. Cost Saving: On-site dramatically reduces overheads normally associated with a 4-5 day visit to a training site, travel, car hire and accommodation are all removed when visiting techs at their home location.

2. Safety Enhancements: Training on-site brings with it a range of safety enhancements. Including the ability to create rescue plans, live practice in a turbine and more.

3. Real World Environment: You cannot replicate real life! The ability to practice rescues in the exact environment techs work in is invaluable. This enhances the abilit of technicians to perform rescues if/when they are ever required.

4. Onsite Packages: STL USA have designed a range of course bolt-ons to enhance the onsite training offer, meeting a range of training needs in one site visit. 

Onsite training packages

An on-site visit is the perfect opportunity to delver a range of training to teams not just the basics. Often GWO BST and ART form the core of training but these can also be refresher courses. QEW can be added and a host more.

Additions to the core GWO courses include:

1. 1 day QEW (Qualified Electrical Worker to NFPA 70E) Low Voltage course
2. 1 day QEW (Qualified Electrical Worker to NFPA 70E) High Voltage course
3. 1/2 day Rescue plan development, includes written rescue plan for a range of scenarios with video/images
4. EAP/ERP (Emergency Action/Response Plan) site evaluation and reporting (equipment, existing plans), development of updated plan and testing of plan to include video, written documentation and live trial. 
5. 1/2 day local first responder sessions. Intro for local first responders to the wind turbine environment

How do I make an on-site training booking?

Booking a GWO onsite training is easy. Simply click below to speak with a member of the STL USA team who can walk you through the logistics, confirm dates and provide you with everything you need to know.