Governor McKee, Labor and Higher Ed Officials Join Ørsted and Eversource to Announce Programs to Train Offshore Wind Workers
New England Council Members Ørsted and Eversource have announced that they will partner with Rhode Island Commerce and Labor Department to train offshore wind workers. The partnership will be supported by a $1 million investment from Revolution Wind. The Ørsted and Eversource joint project is one part of the companies previously announced $4.5 million commitment to support education, workforce training and supply chain development in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The partnership will include $500,000 for Community College of Rhode Island to create a Global Wind Organization (GWO) certification program which both companies predict will have over 150 graduates by next summer. The training will be the state of Rhode Island’s first Global Wind Organization (GWO) training certificate program. The GWO is the international standard for offshore wind safety which will provide trainees with first aid, equipment training, and safety procedures.
The Community College of Rhode Island will use existing facilities to simulate offshore conditions and 30-foot-tall structures to ensure a safe learning environment for students. Another $500,000 we be provided to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training to work with local organizations to provide diversified workforce training and union careers. Ørsted officials also attended a similar event with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to celebrate a $22.9 million federal investment to put towards Maryland offshore wind workforce training.
Dan Hardy, Ørsted CEO of North America said “today’s event, to me, is about access and opportunity: the chance for more Rhode Island workers to join the clean energy transition into good-paying jobs. Right now, we are on the ground floor. We have the opportunity to shape and build this industry from the beginning—the right way.”
The New England Council would like to commend Ørsted and Eversource for their continued commitment to building a more eco-friendly and sustainable future in New England.
Read more from this Ørsted press release.