Which oil and gas skills transfer to renewables, how GWO and OPITO certificates differ, and how to present your offshore experience to new employers.
If you work in oil and gas, you already have much of what renewable energy employers want. Offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen projects need people who understand safety-critical work, offshore operations and complex engineering. Research by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) found that around 90% of oil and gas workers have skills that can also be applied to renewable energy. The obstacles are usually certificates, terminology and how you present yourself rather than ability. This guide covers what carries over, what you may need to add and how to make your experience count.
Skills that transfer well
Many of the core skills in oil and gas are the same ones renewables employers screen for:
- Safe systems of work: permit to work, isolations, risk assessment, toolbox talks and incident reporting
- Offshore experience: working on rotation, living offshore, vessel and helicopter travel, and emergency response
- Electrical and instrumentation: high-voltage systems, control systems, fault-finding and commissioning
- Mechanical: rotating equipment, hydraulics, bolting and tensioning, and planned maintenance
- Marine and subsea: vessel operations, cable work, ROVs, diving support and seabed surveys
- Projects and commercial: project controls, planning, contracts, procurement, quality and document control
- Health, safety and environment: HSE advisers and auditors are needed across every energy sector
Where your experience fits
Offshore wind
Offshore wind is the most common move. Electrical, mechanical and instrument technicians can retrain as wind turbine technicians, and people with high-voltage experience are sought for offshore substations and export cables. Marine, vessel and subsea specialists are needed for installation and maintenance campaigns, and project, engineering and commercial staff are needed from development through to operations. Browse roles in offshore wind to see what is being advertised.
A move does not always mean relocating. Many service companies in the north-east of Scotland now work across oil and gas and offshore wind, so look at energy jobs in Aberdeen as well as further afield.
Carbon capture and hydrogen
Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) is the closest match to what you already do. Storing carbon dioxide under the seabed relies on reservoir engineering, wells, pipelines and offshore operations, and some projects plan to reuse depleted gas fields. Hydrogen production also draws on process engineering, process safety and gas-handling skills. See current hydrogen and carbon capture jobs.
Certificates: what carries over and what to add
OPITO and GWO are separate standards
Oil and gas safety training follows OPITO standards, with courses such as BOSIET and its refresher, FOET. Wind energy uses standards set by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO). The two are not interchangeable. A BOSIET does not meet a GWO requirement, and there is no automatic credit between them, so most people moving into wind need GWO Basic Safety Training even if they hold a valid BOSIET.
GWO Basic Safety Training covers First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, Working at Heights and Sea Survival. Turbine technicians are often also asked for GWO Basic Technical Training in mechanical, electrical and hydraulic work. GWO records are held online in the WINDA database, and certificates generally need refreshing every two years, compared with four years for a BOSIET. Keep your OPITO certificates current if you might work in both sectors, as some people move back and forth depending on the work available.
Recognition of prior learning
You may not have to start from scratch. The Wind Cross Skill Programme, run by GWO with the ECITB and ORE Catapult, uses ECITB Connected Competence technical tests to recognise what experienced technicians already know, then adds wind-specific GWO training. It was officially launched in July 2026 after a year-long pilot and is designed so that technicians can move between oil and gas and wind in either direction. Ask training providers and employers whether recognition applies to you before booking a full course.
Medicals and other tickets
Some offshore wind developers use the OEUK medical guidelines as their baseline standard, so your existing OEUK medical may be accepted. Turbine roles often add a separate fitness assessment covering ladder climbing and working at height. Other certificates, such as electrical qualifications, rope access, rigging and slinging, confined space entry and lifting operations, often carry over, although an employer may ask for a particular standard. Check each advert and ask what the client requires.
The Energy Skills Passport
OEUK and RenewableUK, with support from the UK and Scottish Governments, launched the Energy Skills Passport in 2025. It lets you record your qualifications and see what training specific offshore wind roles require, starting with roles such as turbine maintenance technician. It is a useful way to spot gaps before you spend money on courses.
How to present your experience
Recruiters in renewables may not know oil and gas terminology, so your CV needs to translate what you did.
- Explain the work, not just the asset. "Maintained gas turbine generators and their control systems on a manned production platform" tells a wind recruiter far more than an installation name and a string of acronyms.
- Spell out your authorisations. If you have been a permit issuer, area authority or authorised person for electrical systems, describe the responsibility involved and the voltages you worked at. These map closely to authorisation roles in wind.
- Lead with relevant systems. Put rotating equipment, hydraulics, high-voltage switching, SCADA and control systems, bolting and lifting near the top.
- List certificates with expiry dates, grouped as safety, technical and medical, and add your WINDA ID once you have one.
- Describe your safety record in words. Mention hazards you spotted, improvements you made and audits you supported, without overstating your role.
- Write a short profile at the top that says what you want to do in renewables and why your background fits.
Our guide for candidates has more advice on building a profile that employers can search.
Practical next steps
- Pick two or three target roles in renewables and read several adverts for each to see which certificates come up repeatedly.
- Check whether you qualify for recognition of prior learning before booking full GWO courses.
- Rewrite your CV in plain language, with a renewables-focused profile at the top.
- Keep your existing offshore certificates and medical in date while you make the move.
Questions people ask
Does my BOSIET count for offshore wind work?
Not as a substitute for GWO training. OPITO and GWO are separate standards, and most offshore wind employers ask for GWO Basic Safety Training, including Sea Survival, even if you hold a valid BOSIET. Some people keep both so they can work in either sector.
Will I have to take a pay cut to move into renewables?
It depends on the role. Some people find entry-level wind technician pay lower than an experienced oil and gas wage, while specialist roles in high-voltage, subsea, projects and engineering are often more comparable. Compare the whole package, including rotation, allowances and travel time, rather than the headline rate.
Which low-carbon sectors are closest to oil and gas?
Carbon capture and storage is the closest, as it relies on reservoir, wells, pipeline and offshore operations expertise. Offshore wind uses many of the same offshore, marine, electrical and mechanical skills, and hydrogen draws on process engineering and process safety.
