A new training collaboration in the offshore wind industry was announced Tuesday that supporters say will, as they put it, "marinize" the workforce.
The partnership is between the Maine Community College System, Maine Maritime Academy and Diamond Offshore Wind, a private company planning to build a research array of 10 floating wind turbines, 40 miles south of Portland.
"Our focus obviously is on workforce development," said Tim Crowley, president of Northern Maine Community College, which has trained about 150 students to work on land-based wind turbines. "So what are the jobs of the future in the workforce, what technicians do they need? Northern Maine Community College has had a technical program in wind power for 15 years, so moving to offshore wind is a natural step for us. So we want to help build the workforce of the future."
And Tim Achorn, of Maine Maritime Academy, says part of this effort includes "marinization," or training workers to perform at sea.
"When somebody goes to the turbine, the floating turbine, they have to transfer from a boat to the actual platform," Achorn said. "So we're going to be doing that training so they don't slip and fall. And if they do slip and fall, we're going to be training them how to actually survive before they can get out of the water."
The project is partly funded by $3 million in federal spending.
