Page 35: of Marine News Magazine (January 2020)

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OFFSHORE WIND

The ? rst-in-the-nation offshore wind training facility will be located at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

By Joseph Keefe n late October, with much fanfare, Massachusetts Gover- by the Commonwealth to grow a workforce for the off- nor Charlie Baker, Stephen Pike, CEO of the Massachu- shore wind industry, which will support the construction setts Clean Energy Center and many others joined of- and operation of Vineyard Wind’s 800-megawatt project,

I ? cials from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) which was selected by the Commonwealth’s Electric Dis- to launch the ? rst-in-the-nation offshore wind crew trans- trict Companies in May 2018 under the state’s ? rst com- fer training facility. The group of state and college represen- petitive procurement for offshore wind. Eventually, it hopes tatives also of? cially christened a new training vessel. The to support training for myriad projects from coast-to-coast. event underscored the efforts at MMA to both support, but The project, a partnership between Mass Maritime, also take full advantage of what stakeholders believe is the state government and industry, heralds the ? rst domestic advent of offshore wind here in the United States. training facility accredited to provide a full safety training

The training facility, which received a total of $1.73 program required for workers in offshore wind. The off- million from the Administration and Massachusetts Clean shore wind training facility will provide critical infrastruc-

Energy Center (MassCEC), will provide education, train- ture that will give both college students and adults seeking ing and certi? cation to thousands of residents, including new careers the necessary skills and certi? cation to work in

Mass Maritime cadets, as well as skilled labor including the emerging industry. electricians, pile drivers, divers and welders, enabling them In total, MMA received more than $1.73 million in to work in the emerging offshore wind industry. But, it grants from the Baker-Polito Administration and Mass- is important to note that this isn’t intended to be the tra- CEC to support the development of its ? rst-in-the-nation ditional ‘mariner’ training that the storied Buzzards Bay facility and basic safety program. In a nutshell, the crew campus has become known for. Instead, the ? edgling ef- transfer training facility is a critical component of a com- fort is nod to the new skill sets and trades which will be prehensive safety training program to be offered by Mass need in the offshore energy sectors in the decades to come. Maritime. The facility supports safety training for workers

Most of those workers won’t be trained mariners. moving from relatively small crew transfer vessels to the

For starters, the training facility represents an investment ? xed support structures of wind turbines in the open seas. 35 www.marinelink.com MN