- Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Did you know? Massachusetts is home to the first U.S. port for offshore wind deployment. Located in the vibrant seaport City of New Bedford, Marine Commerce Terminal is a full-service maritime industrial port with physical assets (public and private) that the Offshore Wind industry utilizes as it moves from concept to deployment of large-scale industrial wind farms.
Massachusetts is a leader in Clean Energy and ranked second for energy efficiency in the nation by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Since 2010, the Massachusetts Clean Energy industry has experienced a 73% job growth, adding more than 44,000 new workers (2022 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report).
Supporting Offshore Wind Businesses
The MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board (GNBWB) has supported employers by conducting regional welding training and partnering with local area maritime companies that supply services within the offshore wind industry. Additionally, the GNBWB has worked collaboratively with community partners, including Bristol Community College NOWI, New Bedford Ocean Cluster, the New Bedford Economic Development Council, and the Seafarers International Union of North America, to strengthen and diversify the Greater New Bedford maritime workforce. The Career Center, located at 18 Acushnet Ave, New Bedford, MA, has hosted multiple career fairs, allowing businesses like Vineyard Wind to meet local jobseekers and fill open positions.
Introducing Green Job Career Pathways to Youths and Young Adults
In 2021, New Bedford High School Students had the opportunity to participate in a unique, college-level, dual-enrollment course in the emerging field of offshore wind, thanks to a grant awarded by SouthCoast Wind. The grant allowed the GNBWB to purchase Vinci virtual reality (VR) goggles and provide students with an experimental learning curriculum that covered the principles of renewable energy from a global perspective and basic energy/electricity concepts about technology, policies, markets, and effects on the earth’s climate. This partnership allowed young students to explore career pathways in the sustainable energy industry.
As the Commonwealth celebrates #MAEarthWeek, MassHire Greater New Bedford’s efforts to support offshore wind opportunities in New Bedford remind us that workforce development requires a collaborative effort across government, businesses, unions, academia, and more. For more information about MassHire services for business, please visit www.mass.gov/dcs or find a career center near you!
This blog was co-authored by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board.