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52MTRNovember/December 2011people & companiesThe first group of trainees to complete the inau- gural 12-month training program with the UK?s only dedicated academy for the offshore wind industry have all successfully started work in new roles within the industry. In testament to the Offshore Marine Academy?s aim to take people with a familiarity with the marine and coastalenvironment and prepare them for a new career in the expanding offshore wind industry, each of the four trainees have been snapped up by employers. Now working with developers Centrica, offshore cable installation contractors Visser & Smit Marine Contracting and marine solutions special- ists Offshore Marine Management (OMM), the graduates all lived in England?s South West and came from a variety of backgrounds when they entered the first course in September last year. The Offshore Marine Academy launched its Offshore Trainee Program in response to the rec- ognized skills gap in the offshore wind industry, which has meant there is a lack of qualified and able workers available for the wide range of careers. The Academy?s aim is to enable trainees to receive the right mix of training and experience to start their career in this growing arena. James Grant, 22, had completed an electrical apprenticeship prior to the program and is now a trainee cable engine driver on the 89m cable lay- ing vessel Team Oman. While Daniel Fraser- Pickard, 26, renovated buildings before the pro- gram and is now a permits coordinator, support- ing the Lincs project team under supervision for Centrica. Daniel said the Academy helped him make a really smooth transition from working in the con- struction industry to employment in the offshore indus- try. The program includes offshore survival and induction; field trips, site visits and operational activities such as lift-ing and rigging practice; sessions on seamanship and nav-igation, sub survey, hydraulics and working at heights; an understanding of financial management, and safety train-ing.Two more trainees, Mike Giles, 26 (pictured above), a plumber, and Cyrus Mills, 24, an environmental biology graduate are now employed in different departments with- in OMM. Mike has taken a role as site coordinator sup- porting the development of a new cable storage facility at Gravesend. Cyrus who is following a career in hydrogra- phy said that if the objectives of the Academy are to show a window into the offshore industry while providing guid- ance to enable the individual to further specialize, it has fulfilled its role 100 percent. First Offshore Marine Academy Trainees Earn Jobs MTR#9 (50-64):MTR Layouts 11/29/2011 2:02 PM Page 52