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Center of Vocational Education (BCU) for Wind Energy in Lębork
In 2024, a new type of institution began to appear on the map of vocational education centers in Poland
— the Centers of Vocational Education (Branżowe Centra Umiejętności, BCU). These centers, located alongside vocational schools that serve the needs of specific industries, are designed to expand the educational offering of these institutions. While they are formally established by local governments, they are created with strong support from industry partners — ensuring high-quality training and an effective process of certification and validation.
The program covers 120 sectors that are both crucial to Poland’s economy and significantly affected by workforce shortages. Wind energy is one of the sectors included.
The need for a formal qualification in this area has been raised by stakeholders for many years. Employers, labor offices, and training centers have all long emphasized the urgency of standardizing requirements for candidates applying for positions in wind power environments. However, it was only with the launch of offshore wind farm construction in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea — and the resulting deepening of the employment crisis — that the government was compelled to act.
The concept behind BCU is simple: adults are given the opportunity to quickly gain a profession through specialized training and a certification and validation process. Importantly, the core of the BCU model is not skill development but skill recognition.> Training is not the primary component of the process — it is just one of the possible paths toward certification.
To ensure a high-quality validation process that aligns with employer expectations, the government entrusted the development of the Wind Energy BCU to two of the most experienced organizations in the sector: Windhunter Academy Sp. z o.o. and the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PIMEW). Windhunter Academy is internationally recognized and the largest wind energy training center in Poland (covering both onshore and offshore sectors). PIMEW, in turn, brings together Polish companies involved in offshore wind, representing the potential employers of BCU graduates.
The Wind Energy BCU will be located in Lębork, alongside the local Center for Vocational Education. Training is set to begin in September 2025. The first group (260 participants) will be trained under the program, and the only costs participants will incur are related to transport and accommodation. Most training groups will operate in the afternoons and on weekends, making the program accessible to students, vocational teachers, and working adults.
- Ewelina Frank