The Humber region is home to the largest cluster of offshore wind farms in the world, at the heart of one of the fastest growing industries in the UK and at the cutting-edge of innovation and engineering.

With a government commitment to deliver 50GW of offshore energy by 2030 the Humber is playing a leading role in this national effort thanks to the eight  operational offshore windfarms based there.

The Humber Offshore Wind Cluster was created with the intention of strengthening collaboration across the region with suppliers, education and training providers, innovation and infrastructure enablers. Ørsted took on a role to sponsor and support the cluster.

Ørsted is a renewable energy company that develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms and more. The company fully or partly owns 12 operational wind farms across the UK, including one in Lincolnshire near Skegness.

As a Cornerstone Employer, Ørsted is committed to working with the local community and inspiring more young people to enter the industry. Cornerstone Employers are a flagship community of more than 300 businesses across England that work with Careers Hubs to support world class careers education at scale in their region.

Ørsted recently welcomed a group of local teachers to its East Coast Hub in Grimsby, where they got to have a tour of the buildings and find out more about apprenticeships and jobs available in the industry as part of the Teacher Encounters programme.

The Teacher Encounters programme, launched last year by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP allows teachers to get half-day experiences to help them to develop a stronger knowledge of their subject area through real-world industry experience.

The scheme is part of a national programme, delivered by local Careers Hubs, bringing together 1,000 teachers and 200 businesses across England, allowing them to enrich teaching practice and share knowledge about skills gaps and labour market information with students and parents.

One aim of the Offshore Wind Cluster Group is to raise awareness about the less obvious job roles in the industry and predict future skills needs. By taking part in the Teacher Encounters programme Ørsted had the opportunity to educate teachers, who can then share this information with students.

Teachers who attended were impressed with what they saw and even requested a digital guide of industry information and work opportunities.

Rebecca Thompson from Gainsborough Academy said: “I had a fantastic day at Ørsted and plan to contact them about coming to work with our students.”

Rachel Shaw from Young People's Learning Provision Lincoln said: “I had a great time at Ørsted yesterday, it was very interesting and informative! I was surprised just how many roles and career opportunities there are available both on and offshore.”

Following on from this feedback, Ørsted along with the rest of the cluster designed an interactive poster about working in offshore wind in the Humber, including entry routes and companies to look out for. 

Lauren Little, Senior Stakeholder Advisor at Ørsted, said: “It was great to take part in the Teacher Encounters programme and have the chance to talk to teachers about working in the industry.

“As a cluster we are always trying to predict future skills needs and we know how important it is for local people to understand the work opportunities available to them, and the entry routes into the industry.

“We hope that this poster will be useful in spreading the word and will hopefully inspire some young people to come and work in the offshore wind sector!”

Lee Douglas, Careers Hub Lead at the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, said: “It is crucial that teachers can have meaningful experiences with employers in Greater Lincolnshire.

“It’s great that the Teacher Encounter at Ørsted was so successful in highlighting the opportunities of the offshore wind sector and I hope that by sharing this poster to local schools, more young people will consider a career in this industry.”