Applications are still possible until 15 July 2012

Oldenburg/Bremerhaven, 25 June 2012: The world's first offshore wind study programme will begin in October 2012 and the application deadline is 15 July 2012. Further information on the study programme will be available at Windforce2012, Germany's first offshore trade fair and conference, which will be held in Bremen from 26 to 29 June 2012.

The planned expansion of offshore wind energy of 25,000 MW by 2030 as part of the energy transition will be accompanied by a significant increase in demand for skilled labour. According to a joint study by the wind energy agency WAB and the consulting firm PwC, offshore wind energy in Germany already employs around 15,000 people. According to this study, the planned expansion of offshore wind energy at national and international level will more than double the demand for skilled labour over the next ten years.

Against this backdrop, the offshore wind degree programme offers current and future offshore wind energy employees a unique range of courses. It is the first part-time degree programme specifically tailored to the offshore wind energy sector. It provides specialised knowledge, management skills and enables qualified exchange with experts in the industry.

The study programme is aimed at the problems and challenges of offshore wind energy: detailed risk and interface management as well as coordination and project management tasks have proven to be "crucial points" in the offshore wind farms planned and realised to date. The study programme addresses this need by making interface management the common thread running through the study programme and teaching it together with the associated technical, economic and legal know-how.

ForWind is the centre for wind energy research at the universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Bremen. In its research, ForWind covers a broad spectrum of engineering and physical sciences and provides scientific support for industrially oriented projects. ForWind is involved in the further education of subjects and managers, organises public lecture series, seminars and workshops and ensures the transfer of knowledge to industry, politics and the public.

The Wind Energy Agency WAB is the leading business network for wind energy in the north-west region and the nationwide contact for the offshore wind energy sector in Germany. More than 350 companies and institutes from all areas of the wind energy industry, the maritime industry and research belong to the association.

The city of Oldenburg is heavily involved in the field of renewable energies. Oldenburg focuses on the three "E's": Energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energies and promotes technology transfer in this area as well as related projects.

The development of the offshore wind study programme is supported by the Metropolregion Bremen-Oldenburg im Nordwesten e.V., the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment and Climate Protection as well as the Senator for Economics, Labour and Ports of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the Economic Development Agency of the City of Oldenburg, the Bremerhaven Society for Investment Promotion and Urban Development BIS and the Oldenburg Energy Cluster OLEC e.V.. The following sponsors from industry and business support the offshore wind study programme: Bremer Landesbank, nkt cables GmbH and wpd offshore solutions GmbH.

[25.06.2012]