New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced $4 million in grants for offshore wind training and workforce development, supporting programs at SUNY Oneonta and several other SUNY campuses preparing students for careers in the emerging offshore wind industry.
“SUNY Oneonta is excited to use the $300,000 grant funding to partner with ONC BOCES in developing an Offshore Wind Energy Pipeline Program designed for area high school students and SUNY Oneonta students,” says Dean Tracy Allen, School of Sciences, SUNY Oneonta. “We envision this will create a pathway to careers in offshore wind energy and other renewable energies, and ancillary areas such as battery storage.”
- The proposed programming will start in the ONC BOCES Mechatronics and the New Visions Engineering programs, where students will learn about wind and renewable energy in their classes. They will have opportunities to advance their in-class learning with meetings with industry experts and trips to wind energy installations, manufacturers, and other related industry sites. BOCES students will also be able to pursue micro credentials in wind technology and renewable energy.
- SUNY Oneonta will develop a Sustainable Energy Demonstration Lab (SEDL) to support research projects in offshore wind energy and renewable energies. Within the SEDL, high school and SUNY Oneonta students will complete lab work alongside industry fellows. SUNY Oneonta students can also pursue micro credentials and complete the 3+2 Engineering program in Applied Physics with a focus on sustainable energy.