Ørsted, the U.S. offshore wind and developer of
Skipjack Wind in Maryland, noted the U.S. Department of Commerce and State of Maryland for a $22.9 million federal investment in the state’s offshore wind workforce training and pledged to work closely with State leaders to prepare Maryland residents for its offshore wind workforce.
Maryland Works For Wind
The State of Maryland, through the Maryland Department of Labor, will utilize the funds to create Maryland Works for Wind, a regional consortium to establish the state as a key hub for offshore wind training, fabrication, and employment.
Stemming Education And Workforce
Ørsted will invest nearly $735 million in Maryland
and create thousands of local jobs during Skipjack Wind’s development and operation. As part of this effort, Ørsted is committing $10 million to STEM education and workforce development programs in Maryland. These programs will be held at various Maryland colleges, universities, community colleges, school systems, with registered apprenticeship programs to ensure the industry’s sustainable energy employment opportunities Rhode Island is on the same page.
Joint Efforts on Behalf of Ørsted and Eversource
A new Offshore Wind Training Program at
Community College of Rhode Island has been established to help develop and train workers for careers in the Offshore Wind Industry. Governor Dan McKee announced the collaborative partnership among offshore windjoint-venture partners Ørsted and Eversource and various higher education, labor and workforce development organizations, to prepare Rhode Island’s offshore wind workforce.
The partnership, together with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, and Department of Commerce, the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council and others is being supported by $1 million from Revolution Wind, Ørsted and Eversource’s offshore wind project for Rhode Island and Connecticut. The funding is a portion of a previouslyannounced $4.5 million commitment to support education, workforce training, and supply chain development in the state. The training partnership will establish a Global Wind Organization (GWO) training certificate program. GWO training – the international standard for offshore wind safety training – provides essential
safety training for workers engaged in offshore wind farm construction and operations. Workers enrolled in the program will receive training in first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, working at heights, and sea survival.