Meet Deniss, who proves that it’s never too late to start a new career in the wind industry. He joined the academy in August 2022 when he was around 40 years old, he told us how he was a little reluctant before doing this big life change, yet he didn’t let that stop him: “Now I feel like my age doesn’t matter, everybody treats me with respect and are very welcoming. Looking back, I would have liked to join this industry 15 years ago.”

Before becoming a wind turbine technician, Deniss was working with solar panels in Poland which made him want to join this industry: “The job before was good, but I needed new challenges. When I was installing the solar panels, I could see the wind turbines in the horizon, which always amazed me, so I set my mind to reaching that goal and becoming a wind turbine technician.”

After going through the Entry Program at the Academy, Deniss told us how well-prepared he felt coming to site. How the focus on safety, rules, and procedures makes him feel safe in the work environment. For Deniss there are more positive things about becoming a wind turbine technician:” Working at GWS I improve my English skills, travel more, which is something that I love to do, and I’m now able to start my planning to move to another country, which is an old dream of mine – something I can finally do because my contract with GWS allows me to move around.”

Also, Daniel, one of the many Portuguese technicians working for GWS, made his transition from solar panels to wind turbines through GWS Academy. Working in restaurants since he was 17, Daniel saw renewable energies as an opportunity to change his career and look for better opportunities, so he took a course on Renewable Energies, where for the first time he was able to learn about maintenance, installation and repair of wind power systems. Daniel had the opportunity to work with electric circuits as well a general knowledge of Renewable Energies.

During his time in the Academy, Daniel highlights how he completed the course at GWS Entry Program and how prepared he felt to work on site afterwards. The focus on safety procedures was something he really appreciated as well as the conditions offered at the Academy in Poland to how practical the course was.

Tautvydas joined our Entry Program in the middle of 2022. Before joining GWS, he served in the Lithuanian army for 14 years where he held various roles like a commanding sergeant in the military police and air surveillance specialist (working with radars of the Lithuanian air force). At the same time, he studied computer engineering.

He told us how he is able to use his military background in his new career in wind: “My experience in the army taught me how crucial teamwork is for the success of the organization. In the military I had a management position, so now I know the challenge of managing people. So being on site now, working with wind turbines, my experience from the military makes me able to better understand the decisions of my Team Leader and I understand the importance of being ONE team”.

With a technical background from another industry, Teo worked in the waste management field as a Maintenance and Installation Technician before joining the GWS Entry Program. He changed his profession looking for better career prospects while growing and developing his skills.

At the academy, he felt the course was very practical which gave him a good sense of what it is like, working on site: “The procedures were very clear which made my life easier in the beginning. Since I knew exactly what to do and whom I should approach in case of any doubt.”

Just like Tautvydas before, Teo also highlighted the importance of a good team: “That [a good team] is essential for good cooperation and a good environment at work, which has been outstanding both during the program and now”.