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Building the Wind Workforce of the Future: GWEC and ECAA Announce Education Partnership

24 September, 2026

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The Global Wind Energy Council and the Energy and Climate Academy/Aprendio join forces on a new initiative to address growing demand for skilled wind energy workers.
The partnership will deliver accessible online educational courses for new entrants and experienced professionals alike looking to expand their sector knowledge.
Register your interest today to be the first to hear about upcoming course announcements and availability.

24 September, Lisbon | The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Energy and Climate Academy/Aprendio (ECAA), a leading online education provider, today announced a strategic global initiative to accelerate workforce development for the rapidly expanding wind industry.

By combining GWEC’s industry knowledge with ECAA’s digital education platform, the partnership will make high-quality wind education accessible to professionals worldwide and help address one of the sector’s challenges: access to skilled talent at a time of accelerating global demand for wind energy.

The first online courses delivered through the partnership will be aimed at new industry entrants as well as experienced professionals considering entering the sector, with course curricula exploring the wind energy value chain, from market and policy fundamentals, through to advanced offshore wind technologies and the practicalities of project development and operation.

As a direct benefit of the new partnership, employees of GWEC member companies will in addition gain discounted access to ECAA’s catalogue of online training courses.

Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, said: “Setting out on a career in the wind industry has never been so rewarding and so meaningful. Whether you are just starting out, or looking to move across from another industry, you will find that being part of the global wind workforce is one of the most satisfying careers anyone could wish for. This is an industry which is quite literally shaping the future of the planet, but we need many more skilled workers to join us on this journey.

“We’re delighted to be joining forces with the Energy and Climate Academy/Aprendio (ECAA), one of the world’s leading specialist renewable energy educational providers, to help train and educate the next generation of wind energy specialists. Combining GWEC’s knowledge and expertise with ECAA’s digital platform and proud record in educational excellence will mean we can deliver top-class professional development for individuals and companies for years to come. Register your interest today to be the first to hear when our new courses are launched.”

Torben Kirkegaard, Chief Education Officer of the Energy and Climate Academy/Aprendio, said: “The transition to clean energy requires continuous learning throughout people's careers. Together with GWEC, we are creating a global learning platform that combines industry insight with flexible digital education, enabling professionals everywhere to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to support the growth of wind energy.”

The new educational partnership comes when demand for qualified wind energy specialists and technicians is growing rapidly as countries look to wind power to improve their industrial competitiveness, support economic growth and bolster energy system resilience.

The global wind workforce is expected to grow from 1.9 million people today¹ to over six million people by 2050, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)². By 2030, the sector will require more than 600,000 skilled wind technicians to meet projected growth forecasts³, according to the Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2025–2030, published by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and GWEC.

Register your interest today

The first courses to be offered through this new partnership are planned to be launched by early 2027. Organisations and professionals interested in participating can register their interest at: www.aprendio.io/gwec

GWEC experts including Chief Research Officer Feng Zhao and Head of Policy Janice Cheong will contribute directly to course content and instruction, ensuring participants benefit from the latest market intelligence and policy expertise. The online curriculum is expected to include modules on:

Wind energy policy, permitting and auction design
Offshore wind’s status and role in the green transition and electrification/p2x
Offshore wind turbines principles and balance of plant
Floating offshore wind technologies
Project development, construction and logistics
Operations and maintenance
Cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection
Decommissioning

About GWEC

Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies.

Learn more about GWEC

About ECAA

The Energy and Climate Academy/Aprendio (ECAA) is an independent and international post-graduate educational centre specialising in energy, climate and environmental matters. ECAA offers post graduate education in cooperation with leading universities, companies and organisations. ECAA’s mission is to raise the level of knowledge on energy, climate and environmental matters through courses, seminars and study tours. ECAA aims to do this by offering post-graduate and international education in the areas of energy and climate.

Learn more about ECAA