Offshore Wind Training Opportunities
Interested in learning more about jobs within the offshore wind space? Click through the interactive career pathways tool 
to learn about the typical tasks and salaries of the most common offshore wind jobs. Looking for training near you, but unsure where to start? Take a dive into the offshore wind training map to find out what training exists near you, and how to enroll.
dedicated to helping individuals find training in offshore wind and advance their careers.
New York is working diligently to develop the critical offshore wind training infrastructure to support a growing U.S. offshore wind industry. The establishment of a Jobs and Supply Chain Technical Working Group (JSC-TWG) helps scope job and industry needs, develop the research and training framework for job training, and begins identifying new credentials and academic degree programs that will prepare New Yorkers, including low-income and those from Disadvantaged Communities or priority populations, for these emerging high-paying jobs.
These ongoing efforts will encourage collaboration on key research initiatives and will be informed by industry experts to ensure all New Yorkers can benefit early from public training programs and educational campaigns that increase awareness about the benefits of offshore wind and where and when they can best participate in this exciting new industry.
New York Offshore Wind Academic Symposiums
NYSERDA began convening universities, colleges, and community colleges in 2024 to discuss new offshore wind courses, credentials, and programs. The goal of these Academic Symposiums is to help promote information sharing, collaborations, and transparency among groups working to educate the offshore wind workforce. To review the latest courses and programs, please see the following resources:
Offshore Wind Academic Symposium Slides [PDF]
Offshore Wind Academic Symposium Memo [doc]
New York Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI)
In 2020 the $20 million OWTI was launched in collaboration with SUNY’s Farmingdale State College and Stony Brook University and NYSERDA, the largest public investment in offshore wind workforce development by any state in the U.S. The training institute aims to advance offshore wind training programs and the educational infrastructure needed to establish a skilled workforce that can support the emerging national offshore wind industry. In cultivating a statewide umbrella of industry, academic, trade and community partnerships, the OWTI will certify and train 2,500 New York workers beginning this year to support both offshore and onshore renewable energy projects.
Live Now: New Opportunity for Offshore Wind Workforce Training Funding – Utilizing $9 million of the OWTI funding, NYSERDA is seeking proposals for training initiatives focused on addressing projected offshore wind (OSW) workforce gaps and preparing workers for high growth jobs. Head to our Clean Energy Workforce Development and Training Page for more information.
NYSERDA OWTI Award Recipients:
NYSERDA issued its first round of competitive awards under the State’s $20 million OWTI investment funds in 2021. The first two winning proposals received a combined $569,618 to support early training and skills development for disadvantaged communities and priority populations – including veterans, individuals with disabilities, low-income individuals, homeless individuals, and single parents – in both the Capital Region and New York City.
In late 2023, Governor Hochul announced that $2.3 million in funding through the Offshore Wind Training Institute was awarded to two recipients: the New York City Union Iron Workers and the Albany-Schoharie-Schenectady-Saratoga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (Capital Region BOCES). These awards leverage both recipients’ established workforce development expertise, supporting new skills training programs needed to prepare hundreds of workers for skilled jobs in the offshore wind industry.
Here are the full details on NYSERDA awarded OWTI funding recipients:
- Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY (HVCC)
To help build a strong pipeline for the Capital Region's offshore wind initiative, HVCC recently began offering a two-year associate degree in welding and fabrication and will focus student recruitment efforts on priority populations in urban and rural disadvantaged communities, providing full or partial scholarships to participants. Foundational welding skills training will be provided by the Capital Region Educational Opportunity Center, a division of HVCC with additional non-credit training and certifications will be provided at the college’s main campus. The college will also partner with regional manufacturers building turbine components to provide a skilled workforce pipeline of welders and fabricators, aiming to train 75 individuals, including 65 from priority populations and disadvantaged communities. - LaGuardia Community College in Queens, NY (LAGCC)
LAGCC is partnering with Siemens Gamesa to build an inclusive offshore wind workforce that ensures a robust local talent pipeline for the construction, repair, and maintenance of offshore wind facilities in the New York City metro area. The college will convene employers to detail the skill gaps for both new entrants to the workforce and incumbent workers in the construction trades to help inform and develop a best-in-class custom curriculum. A total of fifty low-income individuals from the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront will be trained to work as offshore wind technicians. - Capital Region BOCES
The Capital Region BOCES were awarded $1,256,900 to support training of 90 workers across three programs - Electrical, Welding, and Building Trades – to address key workforce gaps identified in collaboration with offshore wind industry employers in the Capital Region. Technical trainings specific to the offshore wind industry will target adult learners from disadvantaged or environmental justice communities and priority populations, including veterans, formerly incarcerated persons, single parents, and English Language Learners. Leveraging its experience in developing and implementing career programming that meets the needs of adult learners from various backgrounds and experiences, BOCES will recruit adults who are underemployed and/or seeking career changes and help them overcome barriers to completing its job training program. - The New York City Union Iron Workers Locals 40 and 361 (Iron Workers)
The Iron Workers were awarded $1,061,454 to train 115 New York City (NYC) iron workers on the safety requirements and skills needed to construct offshore wind projects. Funding will support the purchase of training equipment and licenses, and the training needed to certify five NYC Iron Workers as Global Wind Organisation (GWO) safety standards instructors. Those five certified instructors will then train approximately 10 cohorts of 11 members or apprentices during this grant period. The Iron workers will formally integrate these new GWO trainings with existing continuing education, apprenticeship training, and pre-apprenticeship offerings. The program will be operated by the Iron Worker’s Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC). The JAC of Iron Workers Locals 40 and 361 is a full-service training facility in Astoria, NY that administers the apprenticeship program for structural Iron Workers and Riggers in New York City and surrounding counties. - The New York City International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 3
Local Union 3 - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ training departments were awarded $2.3 million, allowing them to develop and deliver trainings for offshore wind related skills. One hundred pre-apprentices and 430 journeypersons will receive career awareness training, 80 of the pre-apprentices will be placed in apprenticeship programs, all 430 journeypersons will receive offshore wind-specific technical training, and 6 of these journeypersons will be trained to become instructors. The Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry (JIBEI) is working with Local 3 to recruit from disadvantaged communities through their existing partnerships with Pre-Apprenticeship nonprofit organizations, such as Construction Skills, NEW (Nontraditional Employment for Women), Helmets to Hardhats, Pathways 2 Apprenticeship, and NYCHA Resident Training Academy. JIBEI has direct entry agreements with these organizations. The placement rate for qualified applicants from these direct entry programs into the JIB Apprentice Program is 100%. - To see a list of SUNY awarded OWTI entities, please visit https://owti.org/funded-projects/
National Offshore Wind Training Center (NOWTC)
The developers of New York’s Sunrise Wind project have invested $10 million in a National Offshore Wind Training Center 
in Brentwood on Long Island. The NOWTC will be housed within a community-centered space that expands access to family-sustaining job opportunities and educational advancement, particularly for high school and college-age New Yorkers entering the workforce. The site, which includes a 22-year license agreement with Suffolk County was created in partnership with the Long Island Federation of Labor-AFLCIO, the Nassau and Suffolk Building and Construction Trades, Suffolk County Community College, International Brotherhood of Electric Workers, the Utility Workers Union of America, BlueGreen Alliance and Minority Millennials. The NOWTC is expected to train and certify hundreds, if not thousands, of workers under Global Wind Organization (GWO) training standards for offshore wind. In addition, NOWTC will offer curriculum and support services for entryways into pre-apprenticeship training for the construction industry as well as manufacturing certifications that will benefit regional employment.
Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy at SUNY Maritime College
Launched with a grant from New York State, the Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy is working to develop classroom and online training programs. The Center hosted its first Offshore Wind Power Conference in September 2019, which provided an overview of Ocean Wind Power generation technology while focusing on the development of support infrastructure needed to install and sustain wind power generation projects in our region. The Center’s objectives include developing in-class/online courses and programs for offshore renewable energy to include credit/non-credit courses leading to certificates and degrees, fostering Maritime College curriculum change and innovation in offshore renewable energy: production, installation, and maintenance, and providing collaborative research opportunities for faculty and students.