Essay: Bristol Community College training first generation of offshore wind workers

For nearly three decades in the U.S. Coast Guard, I witnessed firsthand the value of America’s maritime resources, waterways, and workforce to our nation’s economy. We inspected, serviced, and protected the systems and people that keep our nation moving. In my new role as director of the National Offshore Wind Institute (NOWI) at Bristol Community College, I see that same spirit of innovation, determination, and service helping to build the next chapter of our nation’s energy future.

Offshore wind is more than an energy source. It is an opportunity.

Up and down the East Coast, offshore wind projects continue to move forward and connect to the electrical grid, including right here in Massachusetts. The job potential for offshore wind is immense when we consider all the roles that help create a wind farm. From designing to constructing the onshore substations to laying cable interconnections, erecting the turbines, and operations and maintenance — these are jobs that can flow into nearby communities and provide new workforce opportunities.

Being familiar with New Bedford and New London, Connecticut, from my time in the Coast Guard, I have seen an improvement in the port infrastructure and growth in the maritime activity in both of these northeast commercial ports as a result of offshore wind development.

At NOWI, we remain focused on our core mission of preparing and protecting the employees who service these facilities. Individuals from diverse backgrounds come through our doors seeking the training and certifications needed to enter this growing field. Some are experienced mariners looking to apply their skills in a new industry. Others are students and career changers seeking a pathway to stable, rewarding employment. What they share is a desire to be part of something that will help make a difference for future generations.

We work closely with industry partners to ensure our programs reflect evolving workforce needs, and we have continued delivering instruction throughout this period.

Sea survival, working at heights, and advanced rescue training are crucial to ensuring that workers are not only prepared for the job, but also make it home safe for their families after an honest day’s work. Workers in other maritime careers can also benefit from this training as well.

My career in the Coast Guard has included more than a dozen years at sea. In that time, I came to more deeply respect and understand the power and vastness of the oceans and how important they are as a source of seafood and energy resources; a place for recreation; an immense geographic buffer against invasion; and a superhighway for 70% of our nation’s economic trade. I also continue to believe that there is a place for offshore wind alongside these other critical uses of our coastal resources.

If my nearly 30 years in the military has taught me anything, it is that change may take time, and that progress may not always be a straight line. It is how we prepare and train for change that is critical to determining success. Offshore wind is a story of hope for our state and for the Northeast. This industry is supplying power to the grid, and we are training workers for the jobs that lie ahead.

Tim Brown is the director of the National Offshore Wind Institute at Bristol Community College in Massachusetts, and as a U.S. Coast Guard officer commanded three ships in the Great Lakes, New England and West Coast.