Ørsted workshop with Cleethorpes Academy

Cleethorpes Academy held a workshop for potential apprentices and engineering students with the renewable energy company, Ørsted.

A group of students were selected from their interests and chosen subjects to take part in the first workshop of its kind to be hosted by Lauren Little and Josh Bray. They gave presentations about Ørsted and its many opportunities for further study and employment and challenged the students to build a wind turbine using only the materials provided.

Ørsted develop, construct and operate multiple offshore wind farms and are expanding their global presence. Their aim is to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. As the UK leads the world in offshore wind deployment and is home to the world’s largest offshore wind farms, they are the perfect organisation to speak to the students of Cleethorpes Academy about future careers and learning opportunities.

The specifications for the turbines included the need to stand on its own, the ability to spin and the addition of at least three turbine blades. The students were given various materials like cardboard boxes, paper straws, tape, glue, paper, elastic bands and cardboard tubes and got to work in their groups to create a wind turbine.

Lauren Little commented: “We have a good relationship with Cleethorpes Academy but this is the first drop-down afternoon that we’ve done with the Academy. It’s a good opportunity for them to step back from lessons and get them doing something creative.”

Once the students completed their wind turbine construction, it was time to test them. The majority of turbines did manage to stand up on their own and were tested in front of a fan to see if they had managed to create a mechanism allowing them to turn in the wind.

The winning turbine was a success in standing unaided, spinning and met all of the specifications. Well done to the winning team!

Josh Bray said: “This kind of thing is great for them to talk about in job applications. If they’re going into a similar field, it’s great to be able to talk about something that is related to the job. This sort of activity helps them to fine tune their teamwork skills and helps with their critical thinking.”

Ørsted offer a wide range of programmes for students including graduate schemes which offers a two-year intensive journey that gives the skills and experience needed to become a leader in the industry. They also offer university assistant positions to learn through hands on experience, mostly based in Denmark. The trainee programmes that are on offer from Ørsted are the perfect way for students to try something new. Every day is different with Ørsted and as a trainee, you can broaden your understanding in the field of renewable energy, as well as gaining vital experience and creating a solid foundation for your future career.

Lauren and Josh both agreed that they were keen to come back and do the workshop again with other students. Lauren added: “These workshops are also great for finding those students that might get overlooked. There are a lot of talented students out there who might be quiet or less confident in their skills, but they’re often the people who we need to be going into careers with places like Ørsted.”