Vessel operator North Star says it has seen a sharp rise in applications for its cadet programme, as more young people look to careers in the offshore renewables sector.
The Aberdeen-headquartered firm said a stream of recent reports highlighting the scale of opportunities in the sector has sparked the uptick in interest.
With bases in Lowestoft and Newcastle, as well as the north east, North Star is the country’s largest employer of offshore cadets and invests £1 million annually in its development scheme.
Its three-year training programme has now been running for 26 years and currently supports 94 people at various stages of their training at nautical colleges around the UK.
The firm runs two intakes per year, with new cohorts starting every January and September.
Cadets spend time on board some of North Star’s fleet of more than 40 emergency support vessels, which are on duty around the clock, 365 days a year for 50 North Sea oil and gas installations.
With the application process currently underway for the next intake of new starts, the company has received a substantial increase in people applying.
Feedback from applicants suggests positive media highlighting the UK’s reputation as a global energy hub for renewables is driving interest.
North Star too is set for growth, having secured a series of contracts for newbuild offshore wind service operation vessels (SOVs) worth a total of £360 million, alongside a suite of emergency response awards.
© Supplied by North Star RenewablesLong-term careers
North Star’s SOV operations director Steve Myers – himself a former cadet – said the company’s expansion into offshore wind had created “a clear path to a long-term career” for seafarers.
“With our approach to integrating innovative technologies into our SOV newbuilds, we are confident we can continue to inspire future generations of mariners and fulfil their career ambitions,” he added.
That potential will be highlighted at this week’s Floating Offshore Wind conference in Aberdeen. In attendance will be first-year cadet Lewis McGougan of Aberdeenshire, who has just returned from his first sea phase as a deck cadet, learning navigational skills offshore.
The former Meldrum Academy pupil is following in the footsteps of his father Gary, an operations and maintenance manager at Moray East Offshore Wind Farm, who has worked in wind energy for over a decade.
Lewis said: “I jumped at the chance when I heard about North Star’s cadet programme, especially after reading that the company was involved in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project.”
“I’m really passionate about producing cleaner energy for the planet, so the prospect of working on the ships supporting the world’s largest wind farm development is a huge motivation for me to join this sector.”
North Star’s training programme was also welcomed by RenewableUK chief executive Dan McGrail, who noted that the sector was on course to employ nearly 100,000 people by 2030.
“The offshore wind revolution taking place in the North Sea will help to secure a just transition to net zero for coastal communities like Aberdeen and provide young people with a long term, sustainable economic future,” he added.
Added Mr Myers: “Lewis is just one of a number of very ambitious, talented and enthusiastic cadets that North Star has been lucky enough to attract. It is testament to the company culture of North Star that the future generation wants to work for us, and with our expansion into offshore wind, we’re able to demonstrate the longevity and options this career choice offers.”
Potential cadet applicants can find out more via the North Star website.
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