The end of 2010 marked the release of the ISO 29990 standard, a quality management and service standard dedicated to the quality of learning services. Education and training centers now have a means of having their core business approved and certified according to internationally recognized standards. The new standard is designed to allow objective comparisons of the numerous quality systems and models that characterize the education and further education market. ISO 2990 demands a mastery of core processes to enable an evaluation of course offers and the professional competency of the learning service provider. The BZEE Training Centre for Renewable Energy in Husum, Germany, is the first operation in the energy sector worldwide to be awarded the new ISO certificate. Certification was provided by DNV DetNorskeVeritas.
Over the past 11 years BZEE has pioneered the development of a customized qualification program for wind turbine service technicians and delivers this service through a network of national and international cooperation partners. The program has contributed highly to closing the skills gap in the expanding wind energy sector and has opened up new career paths in renewable energy for unemployed skilled workers. DNV has now certified BZEE’s learning services and its management system.
DNV Business Assurance, responsible for the certification process, is one of the leading global certification bodies and belongs to the independent DetNorskeVeritas foundation founded in 1864 in Norway. Today DNV boasts 300 locations worldwide and a network of 8600 professionals. “We’ve benefited immensely from the ISO process and the support offered by DNV and we’re proud to be the industry’s first education services provider to meet the new standard” says BZEE General Manager Nils Peters.
BZEE’s track record shows over 1,400 successfully qualified service technicians in Germany alone, and a growing output of wind energy technicians at the partner locations in France, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and the Unites States. Throughout this expansion BZEE has remained true to its roots as an industry-driven skills initiative with its 80 company members interacting with BZEE staff to continually update curricula to meet the demands of emerging technology and enhanced operational routines. Manufacturers, investors, and insurers profit from the guarantee that BZEE qualifications meet the wind industry’s needs. More information is available at www.bzee.de and www.dnv.de.
