Why we plan technical training around the job's timeline and not the classroom calendar
A lot of our work on technical training comes down to one question: when does this person actually need to know this? The answer is rarely ‘on the day the course is booked’. It is before the first day on site, when a new turbine model arrives, in the rare situation where a course can't show, or when a fault turns up.
Technical training works best when it reaches people at those moments. Here are four solutions we have built for wind, offshore, and energy that do exactly that.
The job runs on a different timetable
Most technical training is planned around when the instructor, the room, and the equipment are free. The job runs on a different schedule. New contractors need the site rules before they board. New turbine models arrive faster than training equipment can be rebuilt. A procedure practised at the last certification may not come up again for months, and then it has to be right the first time.
When training only exists in the classroom, the gap between the course and the moment of use fills up with guesswork. A certificate shows that someone attended. It does not show that they can do the task when it matters.
Why we plan technical training around the job's timeline and not the classroom calendar
A lot of our work on technical training comes down to one question: when does this person actually need to know this? The answer is rarely ‘on the day the course is booked’. It is before the first day on site, when a new turbine model arrives, in the rare situation where a course can't show, or when a fault turns up.
Technical training works best when it reaches people at those moments. Here are four solutions we have built for wind, offshore, and energy that do exactly that.
The job runs on a different timetable
Most technical training is planned around when the instructor, the room, and the equipment are free. The job runs on a different schedule. New contractors need the site rules before they board. New turbine models arrive faster than training equipment can be rebuilt. A procedure practised at the last certification may not come up again for months, and then it has to be right the first time.
When training only exists in the classroom, the gap between the course and the moment of use fills up with guesswork. A certificate shows that someone attended. It does not show that they can do the task when it matters.
Ready before they set foot on site
Fugro's employees and contractors work on vessels, in labs, and in warehouses around the world, and they all need HSSE onboarding that feels relevant from their first day. One generic course for everyone rarely does that.
So we built a Virtual Campus modelled on Fugro's own sites. Each learner gets an entry point based on their role and location, and moves through hotspots, video, animation, and reflection exercises. Everything stays on the platform, with no static slides or external links, and it runs in 9 languages. It was shortlisted for the Learning Technologies Awards 2025.
Training that keeps up with the turbine
Wind turbines change faster than training equipment. A physical replica of a turbine is expensive, can show only a limited set of faults, and becomes out of date within three to five years. Together with MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, we built a digital training simulator instead: mobile, able to stand in any classroom, able to simulate any defect a technician encounters in the field, and updateable as the turbine changes. It costs a third as much as a traditional simulator, and the work won two gold awards at the Learning Technologies Awards 2018.
Because it can be updated, the work never stopped. We have since built more than ten simulators for Vestas' newer turbines, so technicians can train on the turbine they will actually meet when it arrives.
The rare situations a course can't recreate
Some of the most important moments in a technician's job are also the rarest. TS TECH, a training provider for the wind industry, runs hands-on GWO courses on real high-voltage switchgear. But there are scenarios you simply cannot recreate safely on live equipment, and a course only has so many hours.
We built a digital switchgear simulator that sits alongside the physical course: a 1:1 3D model with five scenarios covering isolation, maintenance, LOTO, and reporting, all with realistic faults. Trainees can repeat the rare and hazardous situations as often as they need, and instructors can follow every session in the logs. As TS TECH puts it, the digital simulator does not replace the physical training - it makes it better.
Practising the fault before it happens
Troubleshooting is where knowledge gets tested. A heat pump hides most of what matters: flows, temperatures, refrigerant. When an installation doesn't perform, the installer has to reason their way to the cause. And with Denmark aiming to cut emissions by 70 per cent by 2030, more installers need to be able to do exactly that.
For EVU, we built a touchscreen simulator that makes the hidden parts visible. Trainees adjust water flow, heat demand, refrigerant charge and outdoor temperature, then work through four fault scenarios: change the parameter they suspect, press ‘Execute’, and see straight away whether they were right. It has been part of EVU's training year after year, and we updated it again last winter.
FAQ
Does digital training replace classroom and certified courses?
No. Hands-on, accredited courses are where people practise on real equipment. Digital training prepares people before the course, lets them repeat what the course can't show, and keeps skills fresh afterwards. Together with RelyOn, we offer both: accredited courses through 50+ training centres in 20+ countries, and digital training from the same team.
Can technical training work without an internet connection?
Yes. Offline apps and offline versions of learning platforms let people train offshore or at remote sites, and their progress syncs once they are back online.
What kind of training benefits most from being available on demand?
Site induction before people arrive, refresher training between certifications, rare or high-risk procedures, and troubleshooting. In short: anything people need at a specific moment in the job, not on the day the course happens to be booked.
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