GEAR | Maersk Training UK invests £60,000 into refurbishment of Newcastle safety training centre

Maersk Training UK (MTUK) has launched its newly refurbished, state-of-the-art safety and survival centre following a £60,000 (US$83,000) investment.

The investment has allowed for the training facilities at the centre to be upgraded, thus expanding the centre’s offshore safety offering to the north east of England workforce.

The installation of a new technical workshop means the centre can deliver courses on basic safety and technical training, as well as bespoke advanced technical training. In addition, as the first training centre in the UK to be accredited by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), the Newcastle site is uniquely placed to offer training to those involved in the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Offering all five modules of the GWO Basic Safety Training (BST) and the GWO Basic Safety Training Refresher (BSTR), MTUK has a bespoke hub rescue facility, which provides practical training for those required to access the hub and yaw sections of wind turbine generators (WTG) and how to rescue a casualty from these areas. The advanced rescue, utilising Open Water GWO Sea Survival courses, provides a realistic as possible experience for delegates.

The courses and facilities have all been developed to allow a straightforward transition between subjects to ensure that training at the centre helps to support companies in the current climate and for the future energy mix.

Callum Dewar, UK operations manager at MTUK, said the refurbished Newcastle site helps ensure that the company has an offering that can adapt to the needs of the ever-evolving energy sector.

Mr Dewar clarified that, although the expanded facilities will be optimised for training before eventual deployment to the Dogger Bank win farm, MTUK will continue to maintain its proficiency in providing appropriate training benefiting clients within the oil and gas sector.

MTUK has also invested in e-learning courses and has increased its digital offering. This includes the upgrade of its Training Management Service (TMS), which allows MTUK to offer a safer solution for delegate training.

“Covid-19 has seen changes across working patterns and the way people respond to technology as part of their everyday,” Mr Deward added. “The pandemic has accelerated our move into digital training, and as a result we have invested in the technology required to allow us to provide our services to companies digitally.”

In addition to the upgrade of training facilities, MTUK’s Newcastle centre also includes a new commercial kitchen, with catering provided by catering firm Entier, and office space to accommodate theory-based learning and training.

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