Iron Workers Locals 40 & 361 Training Program
Queens County
Offshore Wind: Expanding the Clean Energy Workforce with Pathways to Good-Quality Jobs
The Iron Workers Locals 40 and 361, located in Queens, New York, have designed a training program to prepare more than 100 individuals for occupations in New York’s offshore wind (OSW) industry.
Leveraging funding from NYSERDA’s New York State Offshore Wind Training Institute – Workforce Training and Skills Development funding opportunity 
, the training program addresses projected OSW workforce gaps and prepares workers for high-growth jobs concentrated in the manufacturing/production, construction/extraction, and induced industries.
The Iron Workers’ training program is critical to meeting New York’s clean energy goals established by the Climate Act to support the development of at least 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, enough to power up to six million homes.
"The Iron Workers of Locals 40 and 361 are proud to partner with NYSERDA to help train New York State residents for the skills they will need to build our future and theirs. Not only will they be building New York's new power supply, they will also be supporting our state’s economy with a true middle-class tax paying career. It's a win-win for our students and New York State."
– Bryan M. Brady II, Director of Training, Iron Workers Locals 40 & 361
Training the Offshore Wind Workforce
As part of the training program, Iron Workers Locals 40 and 361 will:
- Acquire equipment, curriculum, and licenses necessary to provide Global Wind Organization (GWO) Basic Safety Training.
- Contract with a third party approved by GWO to upskill five members to become instructors.
- Train and GWO certify an additional one hundred ten members.
- Develop curricula to support in-demand courses for members.
Of the 500 individuals anticipated to be trained by 2026, 110 members will receive GWO certification. The program also includes upskilling five members to become instructors of GWO Basic Safety Training.
Registered Apprenticeship Program
This training program will be incorporated into Iron Workers’ registered apprenticeship program, which involves 600 hours of classroom training, and 4,000 hours of on-the-job- training before participants graduate.
Additionally, this program will become an ongoing offering at Iron Workers’ Astoria facility, with the annual number of trainees expected to increase each year to reach an internal goal of 500 members trained by the end of 2026.
Training Program Overview
The curriculum supports skills development in the areas of:
- Working at Heights (GWO standards)
- First Aid
- Fire Awareness (FAW)
- Sea Survival (SS)
- Manual Handling
To emulate working conditions, the program supported purchasing state-of-the-art equipment such as:
- Basic Safety Training (BST) Equipment
- Working at Heights (WAH) Tower
- Ladders, Cables, Rail
- Fire Awareness Booth
Incentives for High-Quality Jobs
NYSERDA recognizes the importance of labor unions to workers and communities. Under the Offshore Wind Training Institute Program, projects exclusively serving Disadvantaged Communities, and/or Priority Populations, or qualifying union-led projects and pre-apprenticeship programs have a reduced cost-share requirement of 10% for eligible projects.
Have questions about the New York State Offshore Wind Training Institute?
Contact [email protected] for more information.