The offshore wind industry is relatively new but growing fast as the world accelerates its transition away from fossil fuels as the main source of electrical power.

But such is the speed of development, there is an acute shortage of skilled people to design, build, manage, and environmentally assess these complex and expensive projects.

As a multidisciplinary consultancy, WSP is encouraging professionals from other sectors – that means you! - to move into renewables, because we believe that you have more transferable skills than you probably realise.

We spoke to three WSP colleagues who’ve made the transition from other sectors to hear about their experiences in their offshore wind careers.

Rachel, who read Environmental Studies and completed an MSc in Environmental Rehabilitation, has had a varied career from laboratory analysis and water quality monitoring, before moving into environmental consultancy, where she has spent the majority of her career, involved in a wide variety of projects including water/wastewater treatment, flood alleviation projects, road and rail infrastructure, energy transmission and onshore wind. She has gained her experience through working with larger multi-disciplinary consultancy firms and through more bespoke ecological consultancy,

She has now moved into offshore wind projects with WSP and believes the skills she learned elsewhere are proving useful in her new career in offshore wind.

“Resolving disputes quickly, managing complexity calmly and logically, providing consistent information – these diplomatic, project management and managerial skills are just as valuable as technical knowledge,” she argues.

Although electrical engineering has always been her speciality, Bita Pouya, Principal Engineer – Substations, is also learning new skills in the offshore wind sector as she moves from Alternating Current (AC) substations to High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substations.

A “relatively new technology”, says Bita, HVDC is a more efficient way to transfer electricity generated by wind turbines more than 90 miles offshore.

Plugging the skills gap

Wind turbines can be 350m tall and, whether rooted to the seabed or floating, need power cables to transmit the energy to substations on land. But there is a shortage of skills in this area, with more cable specialists, mainly DC cable experts, due to more HVDC offshore wind projects on the way, Bita explains.

“We also need more wind energy engineers,” she says, “people who understand the wind profiles of the site and how much energy can be produced from the turbines.”

There is also a shortage of marine ecologists who can understand and assess the likely impact of such large construction projects on marine mammal, fish, and bird populations, says Bita.

Measuring the true environmental impact – and designing in ways to mitigate it – is an essential skill in an offshore wind career. And demonstrating that you’ve clearly taken biodiversity and the environment into consideration is crucial for winning planning permission and public support.

So there are some skills shortages the consultancy sector alone cannot solve – it needs a wider engineering industry response.

Talking the talk

Acknowledging the technical skill shortages, all three agree strongly that communication is as critical in the offshore wind sector as it is in all other sectors.

“Listening is really important,” says Rachel, “not closing conversations down. It’s an innovative sector, nobody wants to quash that, so all new ideas are valuable.”

Identifying risks, understanding issues, and communicating them with the client, are crucial to keeping a project on track and all stakeholders up-to-speed with progress at each stage, Leon says.

And the need for these transferable, non-technical skills make consultancy more of a congenial environment for women, too, argues Bita, who spent 10 years at GE in a mostly-male “very tough environment.”

Being part of a multidisciplinary consultancy also gives professionals the opportunity to ask those “dumb” questions of more specialist colleagues, argues Rachel, which is useful for up-skilling yourself and gaining a more rounded knowledge of the renewable sector.

That said, as offshore wind is an emergent industry there is a greater tolerance for people who may not be as technically expert as those who’ve been in the sector for longer, she believes.

Leon agrees, saying: “Most importantly, you need to show a willingness to learn, enthusiasm and motivation.”

The moral of this story is that you are likely to have more transferable skills than you think, and the renewables sector – particularly the fast-growing and innovative offshore wind industry – is clamouring for your expertise, whatever your background.

Why not take a look and consider taking on a new, exciting challenge by starting a career in the offshore wind sector?