Floating Offshore Wind Training Academy Takes Major Step Forward
The milestone follows the college's successful bid for funding through the initial round of The Crown Estate's Supply Chain Accelerator, enabling in-depth research into the current landscape of FLOW training. The study will assess existing training provisions, identify potential gaps, and determine the type of facilities needed, their ideal location, and associated costs.
CEO of NPTC Group of Colleges, Mark Dacey, described it as a 'transformative moment' and emphasised the Academy's vital role in supporting communities and industries.
He said:
'This initiative is a major step forward in ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, with the right skills and infrastructure in place to support the growth of the offshore wind industry. The opportunities for our communities and stakeholders are endless and NPTC Group of Colleges is committed to supporting green skills and job growth for Wales in the green industrial revolution as well as the creation of a robust supply chain and a skilled workforce equipped for the challenges of the FLOW sector.'
Steve Jermy, CEO of Celtic Sea Power, said:
'Floating offshore wind represents a generational opportunity to create high-quality skilled employment across the Celtic Sea region. At Celtic Sea Power, we are extremely excited to be leading this important project at such a crucial time for the sector, with 4.5GW of capacity due to be awarded this year. NPTC Group already trains highly skilled and ambitious people for Welsh industry, and by winning funding from The Crown Estate have demonstrated their ambition to take a leading role in delivering FLOW skills to the region. We are thus excited to work with them, and local and regional stakeholders, to deliver a comprehensive feasibility study into a future-facing FLOW Training Academy for Neath Port Talbot in what will be a pivotal opportunity to unlock investment and talent long into the future.'
Rebecca Williams, Director of Devolved Nations at The Crown Estate, said:
'The Celtic Sea has the opportunity to play an integral role in supporting the UK's clean energy transition by hosting three new floating offshore wind farms, capable of generating enough renewable energy to power more than four million homes. Projects such as NPTC's Training Academy which focus on the workforce needed to deliver and maintain this vital infrastructure will ensure communities in Wales are in a strong position to take advantage of the economic benefits that the deployment of offshore wind off our coasts brings.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Live
2 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Closed Gwynedd attraction under redevelopment receives another £3.3m
A major tourism attraction - currently being redeveloped - has received another significant funding boost. The National Slate Museum in Llanberis has been closed since November last year and will reopen in 2026. It is undergoing a significant upgrade to create a new learning centre, play area, shop and café at the museum, as well as making the whole site more accessible. Today Welsh Government announced an additional £3.3m boost to support the re-development. This brings the Welsh Government's total contribution to the project to £5.8m - with £2.5m previously awarded. On top of this the last Conservative UK Government approved £6.2m from the Levelling-Up fund, part of a wider regeneration bid by Cyngor Gwynedd. In addition the project has had £12m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This brings the total investment to £24m - raising expectations of what will be unveiled when the site reopens. As well as paying for the redevelopment funding will also enable the site to continue to develop its role as a living museum by offering training and opportunities for people to learn about and develop traditional heritage skills. The museum has temporarily closed to safely carry out the conservation and renovation work. But Amgueddfa Cymru is taking the museum on the road around local attractions and community events in north Wales and through 'pop up' museums at the Quarry Hospital and Penrhyn Castle. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Today's announcement consists of an additional £3m plus the award of a £300,000 Communities Facilities Programme grant towards the construction of a new café, Learning and Volunteering Centre and Changing Places facilities. Culture Minister, Jack Sargeant said: 'As Culture Minister and a proud north Walian, it's been an ideal summer for me – visiting one exciting development or event in the Gogledd after another. The almost-finished, new-look Theatr Clwyd; the National Slate Museum at the beginning of its own transformation journey; the Maes of the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham where I joined tens of thousands of other visitors to celebrate all things Cymraeg and was updated on the progress of the new Football Museum for Wales within Wrexham Museum. 'We have increased day-to-day spend on culture by 8.5% this year and tripled investment in venues and sites compared to a decade ago. But our spend on culture goes far beyond this - it is woven into budgets across Welsh Government. 'Our investment in the National Slate Museum today is an excellent example of how this works in practice with £5.5m from my department's budget combined with community regeneration funding to ensure the redeveloped museum offers a world class experience for visitors to the slate landscape of north-west Wales – a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2021.' They added that the Government had allocated over £230m this year to culture and cultural programmes outside of the Culture Minister's portfolio - across departments including education, local government, economy, health, the Welsh language, energy and social justice. This includes funding for familiar and culturally significant projects like the National Music Service, the Urdd, National and Llangollen Eisteddfodau, the summer reading challenge across all libraries in Wales, the investment in our film, TV and live music sectors and high-profile events like Tafwyl and the year-long 2025 Richard Burton Centenary programme.
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Indie Beer Cymru coming to Haverfordwest this September
Indie Beer Cymru, organised by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), will take place in Haverfordwest at Haverhub on September 19 and 20 and will feature more than 100 beers from independent breweries across Wales. The event follows the success of Indie Beer Scotland in Glasgow and is expected to become a flagship celebration of Welsh brewing. Sara Leigh Webber, regional director of SIBA Wales and head of marketing at Brains Brewery, said: "We are delighted to be presenting the biggest selection of Welsh indie beers available anywhere in a huge range of different beer styles. "From traditional stouts and bitters to modern IPAs and speciality beers, Indie Beer Cymru will have something for everyone and we think the Haverhub in Haverfordwest is the perfect place to host this new flagship beer festival for Wales." The festival will take place after the Indie Beer Awards Cymru and will give visitors the chance to sample the best beers in Wales. Winning beers from the awards will go on to compete in the UK-wide finals in early 2026. The festival will run across four sessions: Friday, September 19 from noon to 5.30pm, and 6pm to 11pm, and Saturday, September 20 from noon to 5.30pm, and 6pm to 11pm. Tickets are priced at £5 per session and include a souvenir festival glass. Beer tokens will be available to buy on-site or in advance, with pints priced at £4 and half pints at £2. Tickets and beer tokens can be purchased now from the Indie Beer Cymru website.
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Mamgu Welsh Cakes part of British Week at Mitsukoshi, Tokyo
Mamgu Welsh Cakes has been invited to take part in the prestigious British Fair at Tokyo's Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Department Store, the Japanese equivalent of Harrods, this autumn. Two bakers from Mamgu will be making and selling Welsh cakes in an open kitchen on the enormous bakery floor of the department store. They will be joined by a team of bakers from Mitsukoshi who will help them make and sell Welsh cakes fresh from the griddle. (Image: Mamgu Welsh Cakes) The team will be making traditional Welsh cakes as well as some of the innovative flavours that Mamgu has become known for over the last decade. On sale to hungry Tokyoites will be lemon and triple choc Welsh cakes, as well as Mamgu's famous savoury cheese and leek Welsh cake. The invitation from Mitsukoshi came completely out of the blue when the store emailed Mamgu inviting the company to take part in its famous British Fair this September, featuring alongside iconic brands such as Fortnum & Mason. (Image: Mamgu Welsh Cakes) The department store has organised travel and accommodation for business co-owner Sam and senior baker Liam. The pair will stay in Tokyo for a fortnight. The food fair lasts a week, which means they will have some time to explore Tokyo and its surroundings. Mamgu is a Pembrokeshire company that has been making Welsh cakes for nearly a decade. The company began with a cozy café in Solva and a small bakery in Croesgoch. The business has since gone from strength to strength. In 2023 Mamgu opened up a beach side café in Saundersfoot and moved to a much larger and modern bakery built to their specific needs in St Davids. (Image: Mamgu Welsh Cakes) Last year the company relocated its Solva cafe to the 14th century grade II listed refectory at St Davids Cathedral. Although the company ships its innovatively flavoured Welsh cakes worldwide, this is the first time it has gone abroad to produce and sell them. There is also a plan to produce a Welsh cake inspired by Japanese flavours to celebrate the event. (Image: Mamgu Welsh Cakes) 'It is really exciting to get the recognition,' said Mamgu's Luke Thorpe. 'With 10 years of trading and support from our local community and experience of shipping worldwide from our sales on our website, we're relishing the opportunity to further develop our links to exporting. 'We are going global and taking Welsh cakes worldwide.'
