Training new seafarers for offshore energy sector

But many young people cannot afford the entry-level training they need to get their first job afloat. East Coast College aims to bridge that gap and open this exciting career to more people in Norfolk and Suffolk through the ‘Offshore Wind Vessel Support Crew (OWVCS) L2 Skills' Bootcamp. The OWVSC Skills Bootcamp is funded by the Department for Education, as part of its Skills For Life programme.

It is delivered by East Coast College and leading training providers, in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils and offshore wind sector businesses. It combines industry-standard safety training with practical skills and a guaranteed job interview on completion. One of the firms that has helped shape this intensive five-week course to meet industry needs is Njord Offshore Ltd, based in Tendring, Essex. It operates crew transfer vessels for the offshore windfarm sector across northern Europe, including from Port of Lowestoft. We asked their local Site Senior Master, Alex Crawley, who is also a support vessel Master, about their involvement and motivation.

Local jobs for local people supporting the local economy

“There’s a real bottleneck in this industry,” explains Alex, “with companies keen to recruit new crew members but unable to take the costly risk of employing someone with absolutely no qualifications or experience. At the same time, there are thousands of young people who would love the opportunity to work in this exciting and rewarding industry, which has the potential to take them around the world.”

Alex joined Njord Offshore some seven years ago after an early career in publishing. “I grew up in Lowestoft and come from a family of mariners, so have always had a love for the sea. Having spent too long working in London offices, I decided on a career change. Thankfully, I was able to self-fund my initial training from savings, which enabled me to get my first deckhand role with Njord Offshore.”

Since then, Alex has worked and studied hard to get his Master’s licence, steadily moving up the vessel tonnage levels. “I’m really keen to see more people from Lowestoft build successful maritime careers. But I know how hard it can be, particularly for the unemployed, to afford the training despite living close to a thriving port. That’s why I was delighted when Njord Offshore asked me to work with East Coast College on developing content and selecting candidates for this free Skills Bootcamp.”

Industry collaboration essential for skills development

The demand for energy industry specific training is not simply to fill skills gaps. It’s also because the UK government requires new offshore windfarms to include more UK businesses and people in their

supply chains. As Alex points out, “the unemployed in Lowestoft struggle to get into seafaring partly because it is a global occupation, so they are competing for jobs with people from around the world.”

“Once you are earning,” says Alex, “it becomes easier to invest in your own career because your starting salary is likely to be £35,000 a year, even for entry level offshore work. That’s particularly the case if you are doing multi-week rotations that include tax-free work in Europe.” What was needed was funding to derisk the entry-level training for both applicants and offshore energy sector businesses.

When Skills Bootcamps’ funding became available, East of England colleges, training providers and energy businesses seized the opportunity to provide that training. The range of courses includes the OWVSC Skills Bootcamp at East Coast College. This recently saw its first intake of nine students complete their training, with seven securing immediate offshore job offers.

Skills are just the start – attitude counts too

Alex was involved in developing the OWVSC course from an early stage. “It was vital for Njord Offshore and me to pay attention not just to the course content but to candidate selection. It’s not enough to have the right qualifications to work on support vessels. You must also have the commitment to spend weeks at sea, living and working closely with a small team in sometime dangerous conditions. Only people with operational experience can really spot if someone will survive that dynamic or not.”

That’s why the course starts with a two-day introductory session, where potential candidates can discuss the demands of both the course and possible careers in detail. “This was a great opportunity to talk to young people about this amazing industry,” says Alex, “and select those with the potential to make good crew members. We then checked on their progress throughout the bootcamp, supporting and encouraging them where needed, and seeing how they tackled the various challenges.”

The results justify that approach. Alex was delighted that the two candidates he’d identified as potential recruits proved to be excellent students. “They are now working with me onboard one of Njord Offshore’s crew transfer vessels in the North Sea and really enjoying it. This shows that the more that employers put in to selecting the candidates, the better the results.”

Building a new fleet in the East of England

Alex is also ambitious for their future. “Talent retention, development and career progression are important to me – and to Njord Offshore. I’m particularly keen to help build the next generation of local seafarers and look forward to seeing these young people go on to become Masters in their own right.”

He is also convinced that Skills Bootcamps, like OWVSC L2, are not just good for individuals and the energy industry. “There’s also a real social need for more, better paid jobs to help regenerate our coastal towns. Lowestoft was built on the success of the fishing industry and now the offshore renewable energy industry can build on that seafaring heritage.

“I would love to see a fleet running out of Lowestoft again, crewed by mainly local people putting their earnings back into the town. There’s a real opportunity here to rebuild the wealth of the community. Njord Offshore also sees the value in recruiting locally, developing people and promoting from within, so as to build that collective knowledge of the waters in which we operate.”

As Alex concludes: “If we can continue running these development pathways, with support from colleges and close industry involvement, they could transform the region over a generation. The next OWVSC L2 course will be in February, so business leaders now have time to really focus on helping prepare a new intake of crew members for the busy summer season in 2027.”

Thank you Alex and Njord Offshore for your support of the OWVSC L2 Skills Bootcamp. If Alex has inspired you to contribute to or apply for future courses, please contact the Skills Bootcamp team at Suffolk County Council email: SkillsBootCamp@suffolk.gov.uk or visit our Skills Bootcamp landing page for all the latest Skills Bootcamps in Norfolk and Suffolk.

This full-time, five-week course involves a mix of classroom and practical activities. Students learn what it takes to crew offshore support vessels, from transfer procedures and deck operations to emergency response drills. It is ideal for people looking for entry-level roles in offshore wind logistics, vessel operations, or marine support services.

The course covers the basics of ‘Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping’, as well as essential communication skills needed to thrive in a high-pressure, team-driven environment. It includes an intensive week of fire safety training, delivered by professional firefighters from Petans in Norwich, as well as basic sea survival training. For more information on this and other Skills Bootcamps in our region, please follow Norfolk and Suffolk Skills Bootcamps on LinkedIn.