The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) has appointed Chris Whitehead as Skills group deputy chair, to give industry insight into the ongoing work carried out by the Skills subgroup.
Chris, stakeholder engagement manager for Morven offshore wind farm, is set to work alongside subgroup chair, Stewart McKinlay to strategically align the work of the Skills group with the latest requirements from the industry. Bringing first-hand developer experience, Chris will be able to identify opportunities for the Skills group to prioritise in an effort to tackle the skills gap facing the offshore wind sector.
Chris is currently helping to deliver strategic engagement for the Morven project – a proposed wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen. Morven offshore wind farm is a 50/50 joint venture between EnBW and bp.
Stewart McKinlay comments on the appointment: “Chris will be able to bring added developer perspective to make sure the work we are doing to secure Scotland’s offshore wind workforce aligns with the sector’s needs. This new role will allow us to build even stronger partnerships with industry to ensure desired skills are filled across the sector.
“My congratulations go to Chris on being appointed deputy chair, and I am looking forward to working together as we continue to roll out our Skills group engagement plan for 2025.”
Chris Whitehead says: “The SOWEC Skills group is delivering vital work to ensure Scotland’s offshore wind industry has a robust workforce to help us reach net zero. The industry heavily relies on key skills to meet supply chain demand, so we need to align our efforts with industry partners to support and maintain the future of our sector.
“I am looking forward to being part of this journey with Stewart and the rest of the Skills group members.”