OEMs and operators target 200,000 people trained to GWO standard by end of 2022

26th February 2020 – The sixteen world-leading OEMs and owner operators making up Global Wind Organisation have announced a long-term strategy to establish standardised training in all wind markets.

GWO today publishes its Annual Report 2019, revealing continued growth of the GWO trained workforce worldwide (89,193) and the network of training providers (354 in 42 countries).

Now, having established momentum across all global markets, GWO member companies have set ambitious long-term objectives, in keeping with their mission to create an injury-free working environment in wind energy.

Eloy Jauregui, Safety Director at Acciona Energía and Chair Global Wind Organisation, explains: “In the short time since GWO was formed by a group of large OEMs and owner operators, global standards for safety and technical training have embedded into the wind industry’s supply chain. It is thanks all our stakeholders that we now report almost 90,000 people from 194 countries comprise the GWO Trained Workforce today.

“Now, we take a significant step forward by announcing GWO members’ long-term ambitions in the form of a three-year strategy, called Safety Without Borders. This strategy unifies every strand of work GWO does and places a target ahead of us to establish globally accepted and standardised training in all wind markets.”

Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of Global Wind Organisation adds: “By the end of 2022, we want to see more than double the number of people in the GWO trained workforce, reaching 200,000 people worldwide. Our global membership of OEMs and owner operators are committed to this target and believe in the benefits that standardised training can deliver for safety, productivity and quality assurance.”

View the GWO Annual 2019 Annual Report Here. 

Highlights include:

In 2019, GWO training providers trained 197,281 (+28%) courses covering nine training standards and 24 individual modules. The GWO trained workforce rose almost 20% year on year to 89,183 by 31.12.2019.

• Worldwide adoption accelerates: In 2017, 14,292 modules (12%) were completed outside Europe. By 2019, this had risen to 39,601 (21%)
• More standards: Training providers are shifting from an exclusive portfolio of 4-5 Basic Safety Training (BST) modules. In 2018, BST represented 97% of all GWO training. 2019 new training standards accounted for 11%
• Organic growth: Basic Safety Training grew consistently in 2018-2019. (+19.9% 2018 - 17.2% 2019). Total BST modules rose to 176,764.

Editors’ Notes:

About Global Wind Organisation

GWO is a non-profit organisation of wind turbine owners and wind turbine manufacturers, committed to the creation and adoption of standardised safety training and emergency procedures. Independent training providers deliver GWO-certified training to delegates worldwide. See our interactive map of training providers. Training records are uploaded and stored in the GWO WINDA database, allowing members to verify training records quickly and easily, helping employers avoid unnecessary spending on re-training.

Media Contact Details

Ralph Savage – Head of Communication, Global Wind Organisation

rs@globalwindsafety.org

‍