Onshore wind farm technician to offshore renewable energy technician
An onshore wind farm technician already meets 74% of what the offshore renewable energy technician role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
41/ 100
1 How much of what an offshore renewable energy technician is expected to do is already part of an onshore wind farm technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the offshore renewable energy technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An offshore renewable energy technician role treats 28 of its required skills as things an onshore wind farm technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse test data
- apply health and safety standards
- arrange equipment repairs
- electric generators
- electrical discharge
- electrical power safety regulations
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 54 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An offshore renewable energy technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an onshore wind farm technician background worth leading with.
- already held maintain wind turbines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held inspect wind turbines constructing
- already held replace large components working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held types of wind turbines engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held maintain sensor equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held provide information on wind turbines assisting and caring
All 54 carried skills, including the 28 the offshore renewable energy technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn offshore constructions and facilities required
- still to learn offshore renewable energy technologies required
- still to learn marine engineering required
- still to learn marine technology required
- optional, not held maritime electric drives optional
- still to learn inspect tidal stream generators required
- still to learn inspect wave energy converters required
- still to learn prevent marine pollution required
- still to learn install offshore renewable energy systems required
- still to learn maintain hydraulic systems required
- still to learn survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment required
- still to learn inspect offshore constructions required
- still to learn maritime meteorology required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an offshore renewable energy technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect tidal stream generators practise this
- 02 inspect wave energy converters practise this
- 03 install offshore renewable energy systems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 54 skills that carry over
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held arrange equipment repairs skill
- already held electric generators knowledge
- already held electrical discharge knowledge
- already held electrical power safety regulations knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure equipment maintenance skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held gather data skill
- already held inspect wind turbines skill
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held maintain electrical equipment skill
- already held maintain electronic equipment skill
- already held maintain records of maintenance interventions skill
- already held maintain sensor equipment skill
- already held maintain wind turbines skill
- already held manage emergency procedures skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held monitor electric generators skill
- already held provide first aid skill
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held respond to electrical power contingencies skill
- already held test sensors skill
- already held types of wind turbines knowledge
- already held use remote control equipment skill
- already held wind energy knowledge
- already held aerodynamics knowledge
- already held assemble electrical components skill
- already held automation technology knowledge
- already held control temperature skill
- already held coordinate electricity generation skill
- already held develop strategies for electricity contingencies skill
- already held electricity consumption knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with electricity distribution schedule skill
- already held ensure safety in electrical power operations skill
- already held execute software tests skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held maintain robotic equipment skill
- already held operate automated process control skill
- already held provide information on wind turbines skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held replace large components skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held review meteorological forecast data skill
- already held robotics knowledge
- already held set up machine controls skill
- already held statistical analysis system software knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held test procedures in electricity transmission skill
- already held write inspection reports skill
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maritime electric drives optional
5 held skills the offshore renewable energy technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with noise standards skill
- not needed by the target role inspect underground power cables skill
- not needed by the target role install onshore wind energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role repair underground power cables skill
- not needed by the target role test wind turbine blades skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn maritime meteorology required
- still to learn offshore constructions and facilities required
- still to learn offshore renewable energy technologies required
- still to learn marine engineering required
- still to learn marine technology required
- optional, not held maritime electric drives optional
Common questions about this move
Can an onshore wind farm technician become an offshore renewable energy technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An onshore wind farm technician already covers 74% of what an offshore renewable energy technician is expected to do: 54 skills carry over, 28 of which the offshore renewable energy technician role treats as required.
What skills does an onshore wind farm technician need to become an offshore renewable energy technician?
13 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is inspect tidal stream generators.
How hard is the move from onshore wind farm technician to offshore renewable energy technician?
Its learning distance is 41 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.