Member Article

Newcastle College Changes the Future of Training for North East Energy Sector

Business leaders and employers from the North East’s energy sector tested out the world’s most advanced training system for offshore engineers last week, as Newcastle College celebrated the launch at its Energy Academy in Wallsend.

The Immersive Hybrid Reality (iHR) offshore wind training facility, is a virtual reality system commissioned for the Great Exhibition of the North and has now been installed at the Academy in Wallsend to help train future engineers.

Delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, the UK’s leading technology innovation and research centre for offshore renewables, in partnership with Scotland’s Energy Skills Partnership, Heriot Watt University and Animmersion VR, the state-of-the-art system replicates working conditions experienced by wind turbine engineers operating on offshore wind farms. The technology allows users to virtually find and diagnose faults, in a realistic but safe environment which helps them to develop the vital skills they need to work in the wind industry.

Tony Quinn, ORE Catapult Operations Director, said “The immersive Hybrid Reality installation at Newcastle College is a huge, innovative step in training and skills development for the next generation of offshore wind technicians. We are delighted to see this project come to fruition as a dedicated training facility, provided by a high-quality education and skills provider here in the North East.”

The innovative technology will allow Newcastle College to support the region’s growing energy sector, as part of the UK’s aim to create 27,000 skilled jobs in the industry by 2030.

Speaking at the event, Director of Business Partnerships Marc McPake said: “Newcastle College has always been aligned to North East LEP priorities and our training and development here at the Energy Academy is centred around the skills required by industry.

“Collaboration with employers is at the centre of everything we do and our partnership with ORE Catapult is a fantastic example of a relationship which will benefit our students and an entire industry.

“Technology and innovation are changing the future of education and training and we hope that this facility will create a lasting legacy by supporting the creation of highly skilled jobs and employment for our region.”

Carol Bell, Executive Director of Great Exhibition of the North, which featured the training system as part of its Innovation Trail, also spoke at the event to talk about how the legacy of GET North continues to contribute to the local economy.

“Our long term objective in supporting this project was that it would be used moving forward to train future engineers from the North East”, she said.

“We are delighted to see that it has been installed so quickly in Newcastle College’s training facilities to support talent in the region. This is a great legacy from Great Exhibition of the North and one that we should all be proud of.”

Attendees were given a chance to test out the system for themselves, which is already being used in the training of future engineers at the Energy Academy, giving a unique edge to their future employability in the sector.

More than 1,200 students have trained at the Academy since it opened its doors in 2012, delivering courses, degrees and apprenticeships for the subsea and renewable energy sector.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Charlotte Horsfield .