New York, NY – To mark National Apprenticeship Week, Community Offshore Wind and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 9 hosted a free workshop for high school students and young adults to educate them about opportunities available in the organized finishing construction trades, including jobs working on offshore wind projects. 

In total, 400 students participated in the day-long workshop, which included hands-on demonstrations of the work District Council 9 members do, panel discussions of career paths available in the trades, educational sessions on how to enroll in apprenticeship programs, and presentations about union jobs that will be available on offshore wind projects.

"Offshore wind is going to create thousands of good, family-sustaining union jobs in New York. It is critical that we make sure New Yorkers are ready to seize the opportunities that the industry brings to communities across the state,” said Doug Perkins, President & Project Director of Community Offshore Wind. “Community Offshore Wind is committed to making sure every New Yorker who wants a career working on offshore wind has access to the training and support they need to do it. That’s why we’re working closely with IUPAT and labor partners across industries and trades to educate the next generation of New Yorkers about the opportunities available to them, and investing millions of dollars in training programs and facilities, workforce development, and wraparound supports for workers in the offshore wind industry.”  

“Learning a trade is one of the best paths to a stable, long-term career. The opportunities that offshore wind will bring to New York in the years to come will create tremendous job growth, particularly for union workers, and we need to make sure the next generation of hardworking New Yorkers are ready to seize these new opportunities when they become available,” said Joseph Azzopardi, Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of District Council 9. “Community Offshore Wind continues to be a fantastic partner to us as we work to educate young people about the careers available in the trades. Their commitment to opening career pathways for more New Yorkers is what we need to ensure everyone feels the economic benefits offshore wind brings to our state.”

The offshore wind industry in New York is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs. These will be high-quality jobs in fields such as manufacturing, construction, installation, research and development, and operations and maintenance. 

Community Offshore Wind’s most recent proposed project would create nearly 700 jobs on its own and the developer is firmly committed to utilizing union labor for the construction of the project. The project will also generate roughly $3 billion in economic activity, which will create hundreds of additional jobs. 

To ensure equitable access to these opportunities, Community Offshore Wind will invest up to $250 million in education, workforce development programs, and services that address barriers that prevent New Yorkers in disadvantaged communities from accessing job opportunities. 

Specific initiatives include:

• Partnering with the United Way of New York State to provide reduced-cost childcare services for all offshore wind workers and trainees in New York, addressing a challenge that holds many working parents back from securing stable, good-paying careers.
• A Wraparound/Barriers Fund that eliminates barriers to workforce participation by partnering with community organizations to address transportation gaps; enhancing language access by providing robust ESL resources; and providing basic needs such as laundry services, business attire, warm clothing, and pioneer legal aid for justice-involved individuals pursuing clean energy careers.
• A Powering Up the Workforce Fund that will develop a career-readiness curriculum that prepares participants for union jobs and fund mentoring for underemployed populations. 
• An Education Fund that will support K-12 STEM programming in Title 1 Schools, with a focus on providing creative, experiential learning opportunities for students that will prepare them for jobs in offshore wind and other STEM-related careers.

These programs will build on Community Offshore Wind’s long track record of investing in programs to prepare New Yorkers for offshore wind jobs and spark an interest in youth about the industry, including working with the Brooklyn Public Library to give away 3,200 science-focused books to families in NYCHA housing, funding field trips for more than 140 New York students to local museums, and providing scholarships for Brooklyn girls between the ages of six and 14 to attend Tools & Tiaras summer camp.