Turbine manufacturer Siemens has opened a Newcastle, U.K.-based energy service training center.
Siemens says it has made significant investments in its facilities to develop in-house learning and development capabilities. The training facility boasts a full-sized nacelle from a 2.3 MW wind turbine and is equipped with 15 classrooms.
This year, Siemens says it will train up to 500 newly hired employees, while other employees working on wind, steam or gas turbines will attend refresher courses at the center.
Siemens first established a training facility at the Newcastle site in 2008 to train service technicians working on conventional power plants – a business which serves the international power generation market. In 2009, a wind power technician training facility was added to the site, which reflects the growing importance of the renewables business for Siemens in the U.K., the company says.
