Long Island’s National Offshore Wind Training Center Prepares 160 New York Union Workers for Careers in Offshore Wind

The National Offshore Wind Training Center is equipping local union workers for jobs in new American energy industry, with support from Ørsted.

BRENTWOOD, N.Y., October 30, 2024 – More than 160 New York union workers have received safety training that will enable them to pursue careers in offshore wind, thanks to a workforce development program led by the National Offshore Wind Training Center (NOWTC) and Ørsted.

The workers have received health assessments, Helicopter Underwater Escape Training and Global Wind Organization Basic Safety Training, giving them the opportunity to pursue careers in New York’s growing offshore wind industry, including well-paying jobs building offshore infrastructure.

The National Offshore Wind Training Center in Brentwood, N.Y., has been made possible thanks to a $10 million investment from Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind project.

“As our state continues to lead on offshore wind, it’s critical that we have a pool of talented New Yorkers trained and ready for the new, local, good-paying jobs offshore wind projects are creating,” said Matthew Aracich, President of the National Offshore Wind Training Center and President of the Nassau and Suffolk County Building Trades. “The workers coming out of NOWTC’s program will have the opportunity to be leaders of this exciting new industry, and I congratulate the first wave of graduates.”

“The safety of our team members is always our top priority, and NOWTC offers some of the most important offshore safety trainings,” said Allison Ziogas, Head of Labor Relations at Ørsted. “We’re proud that our investment in the National Offshore Wind Training Center has already offered 160 New Yorkers the opportunity to smoothly transition to work in offshore wind energy as this new American energy industry scales up.”

Delivered at the National Offshore Wind Training Center, the Global Wind Organization’s Basic Safety Training program is the international gold standard in offshore wind safety training. The intensive curriculum includes training in first aid, fire awareness, manual handling, sea survival, and working at heights.

The National Offshore Wind Training Center is a partnership between the Long Island Federation of Labor, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and Suffolk County Community College.

Ørsted is leading the buildout of the American offshore wind industry with a focus on its growing Northeast hub, which includes ports, American-made vessels, a trained workforce, a growing local supply chain, and more. Ørsted built New York’s first offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind, and earlier this year broke ground at its second New York project, Sunrise Wind, which will provide 924 megawatts of offshore wind energy to New York’s electric grid – enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 homes. As Sunrise Wind continues to make progress, Ørsted anticipates beginning to hire for offshore construction roles as early as next month.

“The union movement on Long Island is committed to New York’s offshore wind industry, and NOWTC delivers the certifications necessary for our local workforce to help the industry continue to scale up,” said John Durso, President, Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “Offshore wind jobs require rigorous training, and no one is better equipped to succeed in those roles than our affiliates and their members.”

“Offshore wind is becoming an important economic engine for Long Island, and Suffolk County Community College is proud to be a catalyst for the growth of this workforce,” said Edward T. Bonahue, Ph.D., President of Suffolk County Community College. “Thanks to the partnership of labor, community leaders, and Ørsted in creating the NOWTC, 160 local union workers are equipped with key skills for offshore wind careers.”

Providing Global Wind Organization training is one way that Ørsted is living up to its first-of-its-kind National Offshore Wind Agreement with North America’s Building Trades Unions, the labor organization representing more than 3 million skilled craft professionals. The National Offshore Wind Agreement includes 15 International Union Presidents and their local affiliates, and it sets the bar for working conditions and equity; injects hundreds of millions of dollars in middle-class wages into the American economy; creates apprenticeship and career opportunities for communities most impacted by environmental injustice; and ensures all Ørsted projects are built with the safest and best-trained workers in America.

In addition to its Global Wind Organization safety training program, the National Offshore Wind Training Center offers a number of other trainings relevant for workers seeking to join the growing American offshore wind workforce.