An oil and gas supply company is to create 13 new jobs after gaining a grant from the Supply Chain Innovation for Offshore Renewable Energy (SCORE) to help it diversity into renewable energy markets.
EPIC International won a share of a £6 million pot to support companies working to drive down the cost of offshore renewables to help it gain accreditation to run rope-access training courses for wind turbine technicians.
The £12,000 grant will also go towards equipment, including a scaffold tower at its Great Yarmouth base. Already this year, the company has installed a cylinder testing facility at its Vanguard Road base.
Dave Rowan, Managing Director of EPIC International – which he set up 17 years ago and which has people working on offshore platforms all over the world – said: “Adding a wind string to the many other strands of the business was an obvious move.”
“There are billions of pounds being invested into creating wind farms off our coast with a pipeline of work going on for decades.
“It makes sense that we use our facilities to work in that industry, especially with our huge knowledge and skills bank after so many years in the offshore industry.”
The company will now go for membership of the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA).
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