Wind turbine technician
Climb, inspect and repair wind turbines on land and at sea, keeping renewable power flowing. Demanding, outdoor, highly skilled work.
- Salary£25,000 – £47,000
- Hours37 to 40 hours a week; you could occasionally be on call
- Working for yourselfUsually employed
What the job is like
Wind turbine technicians install, maintain and repair the turbines on onshore and offshore wind farms. The job mixes electrical, mechanical and hydraulic work - testing blades and control systems, finding faults and fixing them - often high up inside a turbine tower or out at sea.
If you enjoy engineering, don't mind heights or remote locations and like working as part of a close team, it's a rewarding way into renewable energy. You'll need specialist safety training (which can include sea survival for offshore work), a full driving licence and to pass background checks.
What you'll do
- Help install turbine towers on land or at sea
- Fit electrical, mechanical and hydraulic equipment
- Test turbine blades and control systems
- Carry out planned maintenance, and find and fix faults
- Run safety checks on electrical substations and cables
- Complete safety reports and record details of each job
Where you'll work
- Outdoors
- Working at height
- In a team
Skills and hobbies that help
Weighted by how much they matter in this job, from the official job profile's skills and tasks. Tap one to see other careers that use it.
Key skills
Used a lot
Handy to have
Hobbies that give you a head start
How to become a wind turbine technician
Apprenticeship
Level 3 advanced apprenticeships such as Maintenance and operations engineering technician (Level 3, typically around 36 months), Engineering technician (Level 3, typically around 42 months) or Engineering maintenance technician. A dedicated Level 3 Wind turbine maintenance technician standard was in development as of September 2026.
College
Courses in electrical and electronic engineering or mechanical engineering technology, or the T Level in Maintenance, Installation and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing.
University
A foundation degree, HND or degree in renewable energy engineering, electrical or mechanical engineering, or electrical power engineering.
Direct application
Possible with electrical or mechanical engineering qualifications and experience from another industry or the armed forces.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- Wind industry safety training - which may include sea survival for offshore work; your employer will tell you what you need
- Global Wind Organisation Basic Safety Training covers first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, working at height and sea survival
- Full driving licence
- Background checks
Where it can lead
- Authorised technician supervising a team and managing health and safety
- Operations and maintenance manager
- Control systems engineer
- Energy engineer
Good to know
- Work can be in remote rural areas or offshore, at height and outdoors in all weathers.
- The National Careers Service expects demand for wind turbine technicians to grow as more energy comes from renewables.
- It is listed by the National Careers Service as a green job.
Courses and training
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Safety training
GWO Basic Safety Training – Global Wind Organisation
The wind industry's standard safety training, covering first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, working at height and sea survival.
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Apprenticeship search
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK
The official GOV.UK service for searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies in England.
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Course search
Find a course – National Careers Service
The National Careers Service search for college and training provider courses in England, including Skills Bootcamps.
Official information
Sources
We checked these pages in September 2026. Rules, pay and courses change, so always confirm with the official source.
- National Careers Service: Wind turbine technician job profile nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/wind-turbine-technician
- Skills England apprenticeship standard: Maintenance and operations engineering technician skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0154-v1-6
- Skills England apprenticeship standard: Engineering technician skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0457-v1-6
- Skills England apprenticeship standard: Wind turbine maintenance technician (in development) skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st1455
- Global Wind Organisation: Basic Safety Training standard globalwindsafety.org/standards/basic-safety-training-standard