Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has appointed Dan Ortega as a North America representative, following 15 years with Vestas.
At Vestas, Ortega was most recently senior technical and safety training manager at the company’s training centre in Portland, Oregon.
Ortega will be supporting a pipeline of almost 100 community colleges, maritime academies, and universities from across North America who are seeking certification to provide 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,” said Ortega.
He added: “Over 6000 Americans and Canadians have a valid GWO training.
“By the end of 2021, we expect this number to be at around 8000 people, but the industry is growing fast and there isn’t enough capacity to meet demand.
“I’m looking forward to assisting directly with organisations who are seeking to get GWO certified, so we can all benefit from a workforce trained to an industry-recognised basic minimum standard.”
GWO chief executive Jakob Lau Holst said: “This is a great step forward for GWO, establishing us in North America with a permanent representative in one of the world’s largest wind power markets.
“GWO now has local contacts in the US, Europe and China, with more regions likely to follow as demand for internationally recognised training standards continues to grow.”