The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) is inviting applications from institutions interested in becoming training partners to impart training under Vayumitra Skill Development Program (VSDP) for the financial year 2022-23 to 2023-24.

Applicants must be industrial training institutes, polytechnics, engineering colleges, or universities.

The last day to apply is August 24, 2022.

Applicants must deposit a non-refundable online processing fee of ₹5,000 (~$63).

Recognized training partners must train participants to become operation and maintenance (O&M) electrical and instrumentation technicians, O&M mechanical technicians, and site surveyors. There will be 30 participants per batch. The assessment and certification will be done by the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ).

Training partners for the program will be selected within the vicinity of existing wind farms and wind power potential locations. Institutes will be selected based on multiple criteria, including reputation, infrastructure, and distance from the wind farms. Institutions located nearby wind farms will be preferred for the ease of practical training. Applicants within a 50 km radius of a wind project will have a higher advantage as part of the marking criteria.

Applicants will be evaluated based on the availability of training center infrastructures like hostels with canteen facilities and electrical and mechanical laboratories. Applicants must have a minimum of three faculties— at least one in electrical, mechanical, civil, instrumentation, and physics.

The faculties will receive a 12-day ‘training of trainers’ course by NIWE at its Chennai or Kayathar campus. The training fee, accommodation, and food will be taken care of by NIWE.

The budget for O&M of electrical & instrumentation and mechanical technicians will be ₹968,030 (~$12,312) per batch. The budget for the site surveyor course will be ₹615,318 (~$7,826). At the commencement of training, 30% of the expenditure will be released. On completion of successful certification, 40% of the expenditure will be released. The rest will be released after the verified employment of 70% of the participants.

Applicants applying for multiple training centers within a state must apply for one center at one location. They cannot apply for more than three centers within the state and not more than ten centers within the country.

At the end of each training batch, an assessment will be done by the assessors nominated by SCGJ and Sector Skill Council for Green Jobs. SCGJ will issue the certificate to the qualified trainees.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council’s Global Wind Report, 2022, the Indian wind market outlook for 2022 and 2023 is projected at 3.2 GW and 4.1 GW of onshore wind installations, respectively.

At a meeting on transmission planning for offshore wind energy projects in India, Union power minister R.K Singh announced that bids would be issued for offshore wind energy blocks of 4 GW annually for three years. Subsequently, a project capacity of 5 GW will be auctioned every year for five years until FY 2029-30. This will bring the total capacity over eight years to 37 GW. To find suitable sites for these projects and to ensure the smooth operation and maintenance of the turbines, India will require the expertise of a trained workforce. VSDP can help raise a primo team to meet the future demands of the wind sector.