UMass Amherst Receives $147k to Train Cohort of Offshore Wind Professionals
[By: University of Massachusetts Amherst]
The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) recently announced that a team led by UMass Clean Energy Extension director and professor Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected to receive $147,555 in grant funding to support the education of 13 scholars from diverse backgrounds at the UMass Clean Energy Extension’s (CEE) Offshore Wind Professional Certificate Program. The award has been complemented with financial support from Equinor, a partner through CEE’s Industry Partnership Program.
Ramon Rosquete Peña (left) and Career Access scholar Carlos Avila
The grant award follows four previous program awards from MassCEC and will help UMass Amherst meet its goals of expanding, broadening and sustaining its three-course graduate certificate program offerings to meet increasing demand for a highly skilled workforce needed to serve the state’s growing offshore wind industry. Since its establishment in 2020, the online program has helped more than 200 working professional students rapidly upskill for the offshore wind industry, making it one of the largest graduate-level offshore wind programs in the U.S.
The funding comes through the MassCEC’s Offshore Wind Works program, which seeks to develop and implement innovative workforce training programs to increase access to clean energy careers, education and training.
“We’re grateful for the continued support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the MassCEC,” Breger says. “The demand for our professional training is accelerating and this critical support will enable us to make our training accessible to excellent students who can make a difference in the offshore wind industry and our classroom.”
Max Dilthey, curriculum lead and program manager of the Offshore Wind Professional Certificate, says of the award, “We’re very excited to see our students and alumni shaping the future of offshore wind in the U.S. This funding is essential for us to continue preparing students and professionals for the future growth of the offshore wind industry, including underrepresented students supported through our Career Access Scholarship.”
The funding will enable the UMass Clean Energy Extension and its more than 30 offshore wind industry partners provide direct pathways for students and scholarship recipients to join the Massachusetts workforce. The grant award will support the full tuition for the 12 scholars, as well as the efforts of CEE staff to recruit and select the cohort, and provide personal advising and professional development support to these diverse students.
The Offshore Wind Certificate Program partners closely with the offshore wind industry in developing and delivering its curriculum offerings. Guest instructors and lecturers from SouthCoast Wind, Vineyard Wind, Avangrid Renewables, the Wind Technology Testing Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and dozens of other firms and organizations give certificate students access to networking opportunities and direct industry exposure that prepares them for employment in a broad range of offshore wind roles.
“Offshore wind workers are on the frontlines of our climate change response – building the infrastructure we need to deploy affordable clean energy to communities across Massachusetts,” says Governor Healey. “Our neighbors, friends, and family members will be the workers that power this new industry, and we’re committed to making sure they have the tools and resources they need to embark on fulfilling careers.”?
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