Four SBU Programs Share Offshore Wind Training and Workforce Development Grants
Stony Brook Awarded Nearly $1.5M in Grants for Offshore Wind Training and Workforce Development
Stony Brook University received nearly $1.5 million in Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI) grants. The funds were awarded for workforce development in the second round of nearly $8 million in total grants announced by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
The grant funding supports State University of New York campus-led programs designed to prepare students for careers in the offshore wind industry. The winning programs will expand workforce development and training initiatives for jobs in constructing, manufacturing, installing, operating and maintaining offshore wind farms. In total, the OWTI has awarded $8 million for 28 grants, with individual awards up to $500,000.
The $20 million OWTI was launched in 2020 in collaboration with Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to advance offshore wind training programs and the educational infrastructure needed to establish a skilled workforce that can support the emerging national offshore wind industry.
Stony Brook faculty and staff submitted winning programs in this round of funding. Recipients include Fang Luo, SUNY Empire Innovation associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Spellman High Voltage Power Electronics Laboratory; Derek O’Connor, manager, Workforce Development, Office of Economic Development; Pat Malone, associate vice president, Offshore Wind Training Institute; Peng Zhang, SUNY Empire Innovation professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Yifan Zhou, assistant professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Luo and O’Connor’s project proposes the construction of an analog-focused laboratory and complimentary training program for those who have completed an electronics or engineering associate degree, striving to upskill in or enter the utility workforce, or currently earning credentials in energy-focused courses. Supported by lectures from engineering faculty, students will earn a micro-credential by completing lab training that will provide a career-growth pathway for entry-level professionals and serves as a critical linkage for workforce development in the renewable energy ecosystem.
Malone’s proposal will provide an interdisciplinary 30-hour program to educate emerging, existing, and transitioning professionals from numerous sectors in the landscape of the clean energy workforce and the role of offshore wind. Modules will be offered by experts from all relevant industries and faculty from Stony Brook University’s College of Business, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Students will receive a certificate of completion and a micro-credential in an interdisciplinary introduction to the foundations of offshore wind.
Zhang’s project will develop Offshore Wind (OSW) training materials to help address projected OSW workforce gaps and prepare trainees for high growth careers via practical and high-quality training. It will expand existing College of Engineering and Applied Sciences programs to incorporate offshore wind energy curriculum and to offer micro-credentials to equip professionals and workers with skills needed for designing, planning and operating OSW systems.
Zhou proposes an interdisciplinary OSW Education Hub to develop a workforce for planning, building and operating next-generation, digitized power grids capable of accommodating massive OSW. The Hub will: (1) build the nation’s largest immersive, all-digital learning environment for OSW workforce training; (2) create multi-level programs, comprising College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences curriculum, micro-credentials, and pre-college programs, to offer tangible education products on cutting-edge OSW and grid digitalization technologies; (3) develop equity-focused training activities to promote the equitable and long-term involvement of minority and disadvantaged populations.
“As New York State continues to lead the nation in our transition to clean energy, the Offshore Wind Training Institute is helping to ensure our state’s workforce is prepared to fill the jobs we need to reach our ambitious energy goals,” Governor Hochul said in her February 9 announcement. “Through this grant program, we are equipping students with the tools they need to fill the clean energy jobs of the future and build a greener New York for generations to come.”