Why FOM Academy is betting on human resource development
Compared to Europe, the wind power industry in Japan is still in the early stages of development. As this field continues to develop in the future, a major issue will be the lack of human resources. In this situation, the FOM Academy, a training facility specializing in wind power generation, was established in Fukushima. This facility focuses on training human resources for O&M, with a focus on wind turbine maintenance.
In this article, Tatsunori Kanno and Toshimitsu Yoshida from Fukushima Wind O&M (Operation & Maintenance), a general incorporated association that runs the FOM Academy, and members of Rera Tech Inc. talk about the future of the wind power generation industry.
The connections and thoughts that led to the establishment of FOM Academy
(I.e.I heard that Mr. Konagaya, Mr. Mito, and Mr. Kanno have known each other since before Rera Tech Inc. was founded.
Konagaya We met Mr. Kanno when Mito and I were both working at our previous jobs. We were introduced to FREA (Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) and Energy Agency Fukushima, and we asked Seidensha, where Mr. Kanno works, to carry out the construction work for the Doppler lidar observation.
Kanno Seidensha is mainly involved in the maintenance and construction of railway electrical equipment, and is involved in a variety of electrical and communications-related work. I have a lot of experience, and I thought it would be interesting, so I took on the job. The installation site was about an hour's drive from the company, so I thought it would be okay, but I was surprised to find that the observation site was so deep in the mountains. During winter maintenance work, there was heavy snowfall and we were unable to contact three employees, so I panicked, thinking they might have been lost. That was a memorable job.
Mito Yes, that's right. We've been together for several years now. And that project is still ongoing.
Konagaya You worked for General Electric (GE) for 17 years maintaining wind turbines. At what point did you join the FOM Academy team?
(I.e. It was about time we decided to build it here..I had heard from Mr. Kanno that Seidensha wanted to launch a wind power generation business in Fukushima. We talked about how without a training center, the business wouldn't take root in Fukushima, and I told him that I would always be available to give him advice if he ran into any problems. Then one day, Mr. Kanno contacted me and said, "I've bought a school to set up a training center"... I was surprised at his initiative (laughs).
Konagaya That's a pretty fast-paced process. Mr. Kanno, were you looking for a property in a closed school from the beginning?
Kanno In order to provide training that complies with the GWO standards, there are regulations regarding the height and strength of ladders in high-altitude training facilities, so we needed to find a building with a roof that met those regulations. At first, we were looking for corporate warehouses and factories, but it was difficult to find a suitable property. After that, we realized that school gymnasiums would meet the standards. From then on, we started looking for schools as well.
Mito This school building is really beautiful, isn't it? The gym is large, and it's perfect as a training facility.
A view of the FOM Academy hallway
FOM Academy training facility layout
Kanno We had the same thought when we found this property. The president also made an immediate decision and we decided to buy it through Seidensha. It was a new school building and the price was quite high, but each room had an air conditioner and no earthquake-proof construction was required, so overall I think it was a good choice.
To help others. He left his job at a major wind turbine manufacturer to focus on the academy.
Konagaya Was Yoshida involved in the design of the facility from the beginning?
(I.e. Yes. I told them what kind of training facilities and equipment were needed, as well as the general layout of the rooms. I was still working at a wind turbine manufacturer at the time, but one day I thought the work at FOM Academy looked interesting, so I suddenly switched on and wrote an email to the HR department saying, "I'm quitting the company." Of course, I didn't quit right away, but six months later.
Kanno Hearing that, I was a bit flustered (laughs). I had planned to gradually bring them in more gradually. But thanks to Yoshida's decision, I was able to concentrate and create the FOM Academy, and we were able to get it in shape in a short period of time.
Mito Why did the switch happen?
(I.e. It may have been triggered by my being hospitalized in an isolation ward after contracting COVID-1. The doctor told me that I might have died if I had been hospitalized one day later, and that was the first time I thought about death. Everyone will die someday, so I thought that if I was going to die anyway, I should do something to help others. Of course, my work at the manufacturer was important, and it wasn't that I got tired of it. We were training people within the company and looking for outside talent, but if things continued as they were, we wouldn't have enough people to carry the company forward in the future. So I decided to focus on training and increase the number of engineers.
Mito If we think about it from a broader perspective, if we could increase the number of people working in the wind turbine industry, it would be beneficial not only for Fukushima and Japan as a whole, but also for wind turbine manufacturers.
(I.e. That's right. When I was at the manufacturer, I was in charge of not only developing human resources within the company, but also finding talent outside the company, but there were so few people in Japan with experience in wind turbines that it was a really difficult situation. In the future, when the wind power generation business in Fukushima gets fully underway, I think it will be to the benefit of wind turbine manufacturers if we create an environment where there are a reasonable number of capable people, rather than bringing in engineers from overseas or outside the prefecture. I'm often asked that question, but it's not like I quit because I got tired of working at a wind turbine manufacturer (laughs).
The significance of the five-day training and the mission of the FOM Academy
Mito The FOM Academy training is 5 days long, but some GWO certified facilities can complete the training in 3.5 days. What is the difference?
(I.e. The GWO-BST training course has four modules:
- First Aid (FA)
- Manual Handling (MH)
- Fire Awareness (FAW) Fire prevention and extinguishing
- Working at Height (WAH)
Of these, we can make a combination version by combining working at height and manual handling. This will compress the time, making it possible to make the course 3.5 days long. At first, there was talk of making the FOM Academy a 3.5 day course. However, I was against it.
Kanno As a customer, that is, a company that sends its employees to the training center, there is a need for the training to be completed in as short a period as possible. I thought that 3.5 days would be best, but after Mr. Yoshida explained to me the importance of manual handling, I was ultimately convinced.
(I.e. Manual handling is training to reduce the risk of injuries and accidents that come with manual work, but in Japan there is no culture of training in this area. However, I believe it is a very important subject.
There are many opportunities to carry heavy loads at the site, but since only about three people can fit inside the windmill, people try to carry them even if it means straining themselves. In fact, the most common reasons people retire from the windmill industry are back and knee pain. If you hurt your back or knees when you're young, you won't be able to do the straining anymore by the time you're in your 3s.
Kanno Besides, 3.5 days is a bit of a rush. Fortunately, Fukushima has the advantage of being close to the Kanto and Chubu regions. You can leave home on Monday morning, the first day of the training, and return home on Friday, the last day. Since you don't need to stay the night before, I don't think the time commitment, including travel and accommodation, will be too much of a burden. Instead, I want you to have as much fun as possible and learn and acquire as many things as possible.
Konagaya In the future, as more and more overseas players such as wind turbine manufacturers and power generation companies come to Japan, I think that what has been accepted up until now based on domestic standards will no longer be acceptable without training at global standards such as GWO. We also believe that it is important to learn about wind turbines as a whole from the perspective of O&M, not just wind conditions, so we would like to return this year or next year to receive training.
Kanno Please come by all means.
Mito Are you considering increasing the amount of training that focuses on offshore wind power generation in your future training programs?
Kanno I think offshore wind power is an important field that will continue to develop in the future, but I don't think there is any need to cover it at the FOM Academy for the time being. This is because, as for Fukushima, we predict that offshore wind power will be in the future. If we are to specialize in offshore wind power, Kyushu, Akita, and Aomori have the geographical advantage and it is easier to hear the voices of the field. Therefore, we do not need to take on everything, and we would like to become a place where people can carefully learn wind turbine maintenance, mainly on land. I think it is good for each training center to develop and sharpen their own strengths.
(I.e. We are now also working to collaborate with other centers. FOM Academy provides the basic training needed to maintain onshore wind turbines, but if someone wants to learn other skills, we can introduce them to other facilities. For example, if someone wants to learn about wind condition surveys, we can introduce them to Relatec.
Konagaya That's great. Right now, Relatec is working with Kobe University to set up the Mutsu Ogawara Wind Condition Observation Site in Aomori Prefecture. There, we will be verifying the accuracy of remote sensing equipment used to investigate wind conditions, but we also plan to open the facility to the general public. It would be great to have a good network of mutual relationships, where we can be introduced to other places if there is a need for such things, and conversely, we can introduce people who want to learn about things other than wind conditions to FOM's facilities.
Today, I experienced high altitude training, and what impressed me was that the deck was designed to mimic the inside of a wind turbine nacelle. In addition, it incorporates the features of various wind turbine manufacturers, so I was impressed that it was designed with the actual site in mind.
Mito That's right. In addition to the high altitude training, we also observed various training equipment and training rooms. For example, for the practical training on checking full harnesses before use, they deliberately brought in defective items actually used on-site and had the trainees look for the abnormalities. I found it interesting how they had made efforts to be more practical. Also, materials and other materials were projected on the monitor in both Japanese and English, and I was impressed by how carefully they had been put together down to the smallest detail so that engineers from overseas could take the course at the same time.
Konagaya Today, we were able to exchange various opinions about wind power O&M, which was very informative. I would like to cooperate with you to develop the wind power industry so that the Japanese wind power market can grow healthily.
Kanno I truly believe so. And I hope you'll join us for the next 5-day training! I look forward to seeing you!
(Written by Izumi Kanchiku, edited by Hisae Sasaki)
