UK: Jennifer Blazes Trail in Offshore Wind

Maersk Training Newcastle is celebrating after welcoming its first female delegate through the doors – a trend the company hopes will start a new influx of women into the wind industry.

Jennifer Menmuir, a Siemens graduate trainee, aged 25 from Falkirk in Central Scotland was the first woman to complete a two day specialist working at height course with Maersk Training Newcastle, which equips delegates with the climbing and other essential skills needed to work on a wind turbine.

Maersk courses are part of Siemens comprehensive wind power training programme delivered from its £9million dedicated facility in Newcastle. Siemens wind power training school, complete with two fully loaded wind turbine nacelles, training towers and electrical and mechanical work stations trains over 300 wind technicians a year to work on UK onshore and offshore wind farms.

Being the only woman on the course was not a unique situation for Jennifer – her master’s degree in Aero-Mechanical engineering had fewer than 10% of women on the course. But entering a sector with relatively few women did not deter Jennifer, who was making a clear career choice.

She said: “I chose to study engineering at university due to the high demand for engineers in industry and hence the career opportunities that would follow. I had an affinity for maths and science related subjects in school and I wanted to join the energy industry. The wind power sector is expanding at a massive rate so having the chance to be involved in this technology at a relatively early stage was ideal. Working both in the office and on-site up a turbine is an exciting and challenging work environment.”

In January Jennifer completed the Siemens graduate programme and gained a permanent position as a technical maintenance specialist in Newcastle with Siemens Renewables Service – a world leading global wind service business

Jennifer continued: “It’s a fantastic job with a high level of responsibility for developing methods to resolve technical issues on turbines. I feel I have the skills to contribute well to the team and I enjoy the working environment and the chance to travel around the UK and Denmark.

“I’m currently getting grounding in the technical aspects of the industry and my training at Maersk and Siemens Wind Power Training School is invaluable in giving me confidence with some of the practical job aspects – such as working at height and safety training required for working in wind turbines. I’m now looking forward to getting started in my new role and having greater responsibility in the industry. I hope I can show other women that a career in the wind industry has many opportunities and is an interesting and challenging option.”

Jennifer secured her role at Siemens in Newcastle as part of its much-prized two-year graduate programme, where she will work in a number of the company’s businesses, including within Siemens Energy sector.

Dave Milne, head of Service Technology at Siemens Service Renewable said: “We are delighted to be able to offer a wide variety of experiences and opportunities to graduates, such as Jennifer and also to all our employees. Siemens invests heavily in skills and training and is committed to diversity to get the best out of its people. We work closely with other engineering employers and organisations to address the engineering skills gap and getting women interested in engineering is part of this approach. Jennifer is fully embracing the opportunities she has in working within a growing and changing industry. She has great potential and is a great asset to the team. ”

Stuart Cameron, managing director at Maersk Training Newcastle, said: “Numerous studies show that women make an important contribution to any company’s bottom line and those organisations with women in the boardroom and in senior positions perform well. Currently the wind sector lags behind in terms of the number of women working in the industry and we would like to see more females entering the wind job market.

“The global wind industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and there are many resulting skills shortages that need to be plugged. There is absolutely no reason why women can’t take advantage of these opportunities too. It was very refreshing to see Jennifer complete her training and I wish her all the very best in her wind career. Hopefully her story will inspire others and we would urge any female interested in entering the wind industry to get in touch.”

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Press release, March 15, 2013; Image: stirlingcommunications