Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has appointed Dan Ortega as its North America representative, following 15 years with Vestas, where he was most recently senior technical and safety training manager at the company’s 32,500-square-foot training center in Portland, Ore.
Ortega will be supporting a pipeline of almost 100 community colleges, maritime academies and universities across North America that are seeking certification to provide wind industry-recognized GWO standards.
“Together, these institutions will help create safety, reduce duplication and improve the productivity of tens of thousands of people working on wind turbines on and offshore in North America,” he says.
“Over 6,000 Americans and Canadians have a valid GWO training,” he adds. “By the end of 2021, we expect this number to be at around 8,000 people – but the industry is growing fast, and there isn’t enough capacity to meet demand. I’m looking forward to assisting directly with organizations who are seeking to get GWO-certified, so we can all benefit from a workforce trained to an industry-recognized basic minimum standard.”
GWO is a nonprofit group of wind turbine owners and wind turbine manufacturers committed to the creation and adoption of standardized safety training and emergency procedures. Independent training providers deliver GWO-certified training to technicians and students worldwide.
There are currently 10 GWO training standards, containing a total of 26 course modules.
