With offshore wind energy leases approved and purchase agreements inked for neighboring states New Jersey, Maryland and New York, a new Delaware-based training program was built to address the needs of a regional offshore wind workforce. Having local professionals who are trained to  work offshore will be critical to help propel the industry forward in the region. 

Because of this need, Cristina Archer, University of Delaware professor and Unidel Howard Cosgrove Career Development Chair in the Environment, with a split appointment between the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as the director of the UD Center for Research in Wind (CReW), proposed a project to develop Delaware's first Offshore Wind Training Program via a partnership between UD and Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC). 

Two years later, six participants were able to earn their Global Wind Organization (GWO) Basic Safety Training certification during a five-day training session held in late January 2024 at the DTCC Georgetown campus. The participants did not have to pay for the training, thanks to a  $1.06 million grant that was supported by a Congressionally directed spending appropriation with funds managed by the United States Department of Labor. 

The funding was used to purchase and install the necessary equipment, to train and certify a cohort of four Sussex County-based trainers via a “Train-The-Trainer” program, provided by the Danish company Maersk Training, and ultimately to subsidize the cost of training and certifying the participants. This helped to make the program an accessible path for those interested in pursuing a career in the offshore wind industry.

Archer said that, as the offshore wind energy industry is new to the United States, there are few places that offer GWO certified training, which is required for anyone who wishes to work on an offshore wind turbine. 

“From engineers who design the turbines, to electricians and facilities personnel who go out to work on the turbines, anyone who wishes to set foot on an offshore wind turbine will need to obtain this certification,” said Archer. 

Archer said it was important to her that the training program be beneficial for the state of Delaware. 

“This is all a beneficial situation for the state of Delaware. We got the money to establish the program, find the place where the actual training could be done, install the structures, and train the trainers, who got their certification and now they gave the training to seven students,” said Archer. “I wanted to do this program for the state, which is the only one that, unfortunately, doesn’t have any power purchase agreement with the offshore wind industry yet. Offshore wind developers tend to prefer to invest in, engage with, and support economically those states that are committed to purchasing their power. Currently, Delaware is not one of them, but I’m hoping that will change, and having a training center here in the state, I think, is going to be very important.”  

“While Delaware continues their due diligence around offshore wind, there is no reason why Delaware can’t play a critical role in training and developing the future regional offshore wind workforce right here in Sussex County,” said Rob Nicholson, consultant for UD and project manager for the training program.

The five-day course included sessions on first aid, working at heights, materials handling, sea survival, and fire awareness. 

For the working at heights module, a two-story tall structure — painted in UD and DTCC colors — was erected on the DTCC campus to give participants a feel for what it would be like to work on an offshore wind turbine. 

For the sea survival course, participants worked in the Dr. Lorraine Wray Aquatic Center, located in Georgetown. 

The Train-the-Trainer part of the grant allowed four local Delawareans to train for eight weeks last fall, obtaining the GWO instructor certification from Maersk Training, a global training provider.  

The newly certified instructors included David Sutz, who spent 23 years in Emergency Medical Services in New York, working as a first responder Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and an EMT instructor. 

He said the goal of the course was that “within a week, we get the students to experience some of the life that they will encounter on wind turbines as far as safety and then sea survival.” 

During the working at heights module, the students trained on the two-story structure, learning how to climb a ladder with hooks and how to use all the cables and tools required. For the sea survival section, they learned basic survival techniques should they encounter an emergency at sea and have to survive as a team or individually. 

Sutz said he was impressed with the curriculum for the course as well as the students who participated.

“They’re receptive, of varied ages, males and females, and this program is very physical but they’re all up to the challenge,” said Sutz. “They’re hoping down the road that this will allow them the opportunity to work for one of the wind turbine companies or at least in the industry. This is the first step for that process. If they can apply to a job and say, ‘I’m already certified for two years,’ then you have a better opportunity than somebody who is just coming off the street. They all think that it’s an industry, and I don’t disagree, that’s going to be growing.” 

Other trainers included Stephen Fasy, Tom Peet and Blake Imhof.

Participants had various reasons for taking the course, as well as different objectives for their careers moving forward. 

Ilarion Swallow, for instance, is hoping to eventually have a career in the offshore wind industry. 

“Hopefully there will be a lot more jobs in this industry in the coming years,” said Swallow, who added that it was beneficial to learn about the equipment and safety procedures. “Understanding the basic equipment and trusting your equipment was great to learn about. It’s beneficial to get the certificate and learn these skills, as all the safety training is practical for everyday use as well.”

Another participant, Russ Merritt, worked in healthcare for the past 24 years and said he was intrigued by the growing prospects of the offshore wind energy industry. 

“I’ve been watching the wind farm industry waiting to see what’s going to happen and hoping to be a little part of it,” said Merritt. “I’m curious about it and curious about the renewable energy aspect of it. This course has given us a good insight into what is required to get up and down a turbine and to even be qualified to apply for a job, which I had no idea. It’s hard to find reliable information about the industry. I’m open to see what kind of opportunities are around and I’d like to get in on the ground floor.” 

The next Offshore Wind Training Program course will take place in late March. For those interested in taking the course and obtaining certification, contact Anthony Carmen at acarmen1@dtcc.edu for more information.