Maritime Construction has launched what it says is Manchester’s first dedicated Global Wind Organisation (GWO) training centre, positioning the city to support the UK’s plans to significantly expand offshore wind capacity under the Clean Power 2030 commitment.
The company said the new facility is intended to serve both newcomers to the sector and experienced workers seeking retraining. According to Maritime Construction, Manchester was chosen for its investment in green industries, growing professional workforce and strong transport links, which the firm said increase accessibility for trainees from across the region.
The centre includes modern classrooms, advanced safety equipment and a purpose-built indoor training pool designed to support the GWO Sea Survival module. “Our mission is to empower the workforce that will drive the UK’s clean energy transition,” Alex White said. “With the ambitious national target for renewable expansion, it is essential that we provide accessible, high-quality training opportunities to ensure the industry has the talent it needs.”
Maritime Construction said the centre will offer all five core GWO modules and aims to develop into a wider skills hub as offshore wind activity grows. Andrew Graham said the opening marks “a great thing for us as a company but for the people of Manchester and the renewable energy sector,” adding that the facility “will create jobs and help to bridge the skills shortage within the wind industry.”
He said the centre was designed “to replicate as much as practicably possible the environment that course participants will come across in the field,” using “state-of-the-art, new equipment used by the leading wind turbine companies.” In addition to wind energy safety and technical courses, the company plans to offer training in PPE inspection, fire warden duties and mental health first aid.
Maritime Construction said enrolment for the training centre is now open.
