Skilled Professionals for Wind Energy: A Conversation with Prof. Torben Terwey of Kiel University of Applied Sciences

Developing, building and operating wind farms takes qualified professionals – and they are not available on demand. In the Wind Energy Engineering master's programme, offered jointly by Flensburg University of Applied Sciences and Kiel University of Applied Sciences, students learn how onshore and offshore wind turbines are planned, developed, built and operated. We spoke with Prof. Torben Terwey, Professor of Renewable Offshore Energies at Kiel University of Applied Sciences, who heads the programme on the Kiel side, about what its graduates can do, where they work, how companies can get to know them – and why he still recommends wind energy despite the current uncertainty.

About the programme

You head the Wind Energy Engineering master's programme at Kiel University of Applied Sciences. Who studies there – what bachelor's degrees and what motivation do students bring with them?

With our bachelor's programme "Renewable Offshore Energies" (EOE), we mainly attract young people who are passionate about technology and find the particular challenges of working at sea exciting. The English-language master's programme "Wind Energy Engineering" is offered jointly with Flensburg University of Applied Sciences. It brings together graduates primarily from mechanical engineering, electrical and energy engineering, and mechatronics – many of them from abroad.

What can your graduates do at the end that a mechanical or electrical engineer without your degree cannot?

Our students learn in particular about the requirements of offshore systems. That includes wind turbines, maritime environmental conditions, grid connection, operation and maintenance. The combination of specialisation, systems understanding and interface competence is what distinguishes them from conventionally trained mechanical or electrical engineers.

Industry experience

You come straight from industry. What did you find lacking in graduates entering the workforce at thyssenkrupp rothe erde – and how does that feed into your teaching today?

New graduates generally bring solid technical knowledge with them. What they still lack is experience of how technical decisions are made under real-world conditions: under time and cost pressure, with incomplete information and across disciplinary boundaries. Close contact with industry is therefore an important part of our teaching.

You say that the drivetrain is where a turbine's reliability is decided. What role do people and qualifications play in that, not just technology?

Reliability emerges from the interaction of the entire system. Small faults in one component can have major consequences elsewhere. That is why we need people who not only know their own area of responsibility but also understand how it fits into the overall system. This applies to development and design just as much as to manufacturing, assembly, operation and maintenance.

The current situation

The wind industry is currently engaged in an intense debate about investment security – onshore about the EEG 2027 (Renewable Energy Sources Act), offshore about the amendment of the Offshore Wind Energy Act (WindSeeG). What do you advise companies that are considering postponing hiring because of this – and what do you advise students who are wondering whether wind energy is still the right field?

Companies need reliable political framework conditions. Nevertheless, I consider postponing hiring to be short-sighted: qualified professionals are not immediately available when projects pick up speed again. Operation, maintenance, grid integration and the further development of existing turbines also remain important tasks. So I would continue to recommend wind energy to students. At the same time, our programmes also teach cross-disciplinary skills that are in demand in other offshore and maritime applications. This opens up a wide range of career prospects – including beyond wind energy.

The job market

Where do your graduates end up: with manufacturers, suppliers, operators, service providers? And where would you like to see more demand?

Our graduates work for manufacturers, suppliers and operators as well as in engineering consultancies, at certification bodies or specialised service providers. Their roles range from development and calculation to operation and maintenance, project development and technical management. I would particularly like to see more demand from the supply industry. Many excellently trained mechanical engineers work there. Our graduates complement that expertise with a comprehensive understanding of the overall system and can thus fill important interfaces between components, the complete turbine and offshore infrastructure.

If a company would like to get to know your students: where and how does that work best?

We actively seek exchange with companies and deliberately create opportunities for personal encounters. These include excursions, networking events such as the "Tag des Schiffbaus" (Shipbuilding Day) run by our colleagues in naval architecture, and specialist symposia such as "Forschung für die Energiewende" (Research for the Energy Transition) on 5 November 2026 in Kiel. The Offshore.Club Kiel, the network of alumni and current students of the EOE programme, is also particularly important to us. At the club evening at the end of each semester, we bring companies, students and alumni together in direct conversation.

Personal

Your own path led from an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic via Aachen and Hanover into industry and now to the university. What would you say to someone who is just starting out today?

I left grammar school after my intermediate school certificate and completed an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic. I then worked while catching up on my A-levels at evening school. That was followed by studies in Aachen and a doctorate in Hanover. My path shows that neither your starting point nor a detour determines where you can end up. What matters is curiosity, perseverance and the courage to seize opportunities.

Thank you for the interview, Professor Terwey. The interview was conducted by Ganimete Scholz.

About
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torben Terwey has been Professor of Renewable Offshore Energies, specialising in wind energy technology, at Kiel University of Applied Sciences since May 2026. On the Kiel side, he heads the Wind Energy Engineering master's programme, which Flensburg University of Applied Sciences offers jointly with Kiel University of Applied Sciences. After an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic, he studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and earned his doctorate at Leibniz University Hannover. Previously, he was Team Leader Rolling Bearings & Tribology at thyssenkrupp rothe erde, where he worked on rotor bearings for wind turbines.

Find out more
Wind Energy Engineering (Master, Flensburg UAS and Kiel UAS) · Renewable Offshore Energies (Bachelor) · Offshore.Club Kiel

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