Solutions that boost the employability of future wind turbine technicians
BZEE and Festo Didactic renew their longstanding collaboration to offer guidance and learning resources to support training providers in the tuition of skilled wind turbine technicians in order to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
The cooperation agreement between BZEE (Training Centre for Renewable Energy) and Festo Didactic provides their respective customers – technical schools and training centers – with easy access to industry and didactic experts who have the knowledge to support the creation or expansion of training programs and facilities. The result of a learning concept based on the complementary expertise of BZEE and Festo Didactic is a comprehensive training solution aligned to professional requirements.
Certified training
BZEE develops best-practice vocational training standards for training excellence in wind energy and turnkey solutions for training providers. BZEE delivers training through a global network of licensed partners – the BZEE Network. Alignment of the contents of vocational training standards and courses to industry requirements is validated by the advisory board of the non-profit BZEE Association.
“Training providers are welcome to join our growing network. BZEE certification not only gives your organization a competitive edge, more importantly it gives your graduates a competitive edge in the job market”, says Mr. Uwe Geiling, managing partner for the BZEE Network. He continues: “In addition to our standard contents, practice-oriented learning solutions from Festo allow students to dive deeper into specific subjects and develop a larger skill set.”
Hands-on skills development
Festo Didactic offers learning systems that develop skills in key technical areas such as the fundamentals of wind technology, hydraulics, mechanics and electrical engineering. In particular, its fully interactive, scaled-down commercial wind turbine prepares learners for real-world operation, troubleshooting and maintenance, as well as connection to the power grid, in a safe, hands-on environment.
“Increasing the share of wind energy in the global energy mix plays an important role in the decarbonization of the planet. We are proud to contribute directly to the training of professionals through the development of competencies in the field of sustainability together with BZEE,” says Dr. Oliver Niese, Member of the Management Board Festo Didactic SE and Head of Digital Business Festo SE & Co. KG.
The return on investment in wind farms depends largely on the availability of a skilled workforce capable of installing, operating, repairing, and optimizing wind turbines, making wind turbine technicians a key job profile in the wind industry. Therefore, technical schools need to ramp up their programs to provide the wind industry with skilled graduates in sufficient numbers.
About BZEE
BZEE is the world’s leading vocational training standard for wind turbine technicians. Together with its global network of training providers, BZEE has successfully trained more than 4,000 entry-level technicians for the wind industry. The BZEE Standard was originally developed more than 20 years ago in Germany and is regularly updated by an advisory board to meet current industry needs. Today, the BZEE Standard is taught on 5 continents through the BZEE Network, which consists of more than 20 vocational training centers. The BZEE Network continues to grow as the transition to renewable energy gains momentum globally. For more information: https://www.bzee-association.org
Festo Didactic is a leading provider of technical training and further education. The product and service portfolio offers customers integrated educational solutions in industrial automation topics. The wide range of products and services are aimed at vocational schools and universities, research centers and industrial customers. Festo Didactic is part of the globally oriented, independent family-owned company Festo with headquarters in Esslingen a. N., Germany. The 760 employees of Festo Didactic in 61 Festo national companies generated sales of EUR 140 million in 2022.