May 25, 2022

Relevant and respected: Introducing The GWO Safety & Training Awards

The GWO Safety & Training Awards shine a light on the teams of instructors, and staff from a worldwide network of over 370 training providers

Winning a GWO Safety & Training Award will provide further endorsement that what you do contributes to a safer and more productive workforce in wind. It will build confidence among your clients and give your staff genuine pride in their work.

“Awards that command respect help to raise standards for everybody. They give everyone something fresh and exciting to aim for and can inject new energy into a business”, says John Barrie, Global Head of Technical & Safety Training Vestas Wind Systems and one of the judges from our panel.  

There are two key elements that underpin the GWO Safety & Training Awards and which will ensure that they are relevant and respected.

The first is the creation of the categories and criteria. These have been carefully thought-through. We wanted to be confident that they would be relevant, focusing on the key ingredients that are essential for the successful delivery of top-class safety and technical training in the wind industry. By highlighting factors such as safety, innovation and fidelity (realism) we believe the criteria will enable people to explain their approach to delivering GWO Training with confidence and impact.

They also have to embrace the whole industry. Too many awards in too many sectors look as if they a reserved for the big players with big marketing budgets. They often pitch small, innovative businesses into competition with global giants, making meaningful comparisons impossible. The GWO Safety & Training Awards will not do that.

To ensure maximum participation and exemplary fairness, the main category 'Training Team of the Year' will be judged and winners announced in regional and size-based groups. This ensures that you be judged in a fair fight against your peers.  

The second key element is the judges and judging process. Both have to be respected, impartial and transparent.

We have assembled a panel of judges with deep expertise and experience, coupled with genuine independence and integrity. They will scrutinise every entry fairly, discuss and debate their merits openly and honestly, so that they reach decisions the whole market can respect and applaud.

‘Above all these are your awards. We believe the all-round quality of the training you deliver deserves a higher profile and that the very best should be given a platform from which to promote their excellence. That is what the GWO Awards are all about”, says Lisa Mallon, EHS Projects and Services Executive at GE Renewable Energy and a Safety & Training Awards Judge.