“We are very pleased to have landed this. It is important to meet the needs of the labour market and facilitate the building of expertise and development of industrial enterprises throughout Norway,” says Geir Grasmo, professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences at UiA.
Grasmo heads UiA's ocean energy technology initiative. An important part of the initiative is the provision of continuing education in offshore wind technology for engineers in companies throughout Norway.
“Most of the teaching will be delivered online. In that way the offer will be available to everyone in Norway,” Grasmo says.
It has already been decided that UiA will establish a master's degree in offshore wind from autumn 2024.
In a press release from the government (Norwegian only), they underline the need for continuing education and new skills.
“Employees and companies must get the updated knowledge they need. The aim is to give people in the industry, employed or unemployed, the skills to master new tasks and thereby become attractive on the job market,” says Grasmo.
Free offer
The course is 30 credits and is part-time. The course will be free for employees and the companies they work for.
The Faculty of Engineering and Science at UiA leads the project, but the Faculty of Social Sciences and the School of Business and Law at UiA will be involved in parts of the teaching.
Professor Sathyajith Mathew from the Faculty of Engineering and Science is the project manager of the continuing education course. He says that the course will mostly be about offshore wind technology, but topics from social-economic, environmental and legal aspects will also be covered.
“In addition, UiA's Centre for Coastal Research (CCR) will also say something about how the offshore wind initiative will affect life in the ocean,” Mathew says.
The course will comprise of four main modules. The first presents the basic principles of wind energy. The second looks at the constructions for the production of offshore wind energy. The third deals with planning, design and development of offshore wind projects, while the fourth deals with the operation and management of the projects.
The first cohort will begin in January 2024.
Course developed together with industry
The course is developed and implemented in close collaboration with industry partners such as Equinor, GOT Norway and GCE NODE. Other specialists from industry, university colleges and universities will also be involved in teaching smaller parts of the study portfolio.
“We make sure this is interdisciplinary so that our students get the best training. We will all contribute with what we are best at. With business and industry and other institutions on the team, we are developing the future's knowledge within offshore wind technology,” Mathew says.