Offshore Wind Workforce/Network
The Offshore Wind Workforce Network
The Offshore Wind Workforce Network is a group of diverse stakeholders who collaborate and coordinate closely on workforce issues in the U.S. offshore wind industry. The Network is comprised of workforce stakeholders from across the offshore wind industry (Figure 1) and is ever-expanding to promote diverse representation and perspectives. The Network is intended to enable members to learn from one another, prioritize key challenges and opportunities, identify solutions, and work together to implement them.
Figure 1: Composition of OSW Workforce Network stakeholders.
In 2021, an Advisory Group established the strategic direction for the Network, including setting objectives for the Network and defining and prioritizing key challenges in meeting the offshore wind workforce demand. Since establishing these priorities, NREL and the Network have completed analysis, convened meetings, and advocated in these topics to help provide clarity, bring awareness, and promote activity in these challenge areas.
Advocate and coordinate with key stakeholders around safety training standardization, participate in standards development meetings, and share key updates with stakeholders. Here's a link to the Safety and Standards Training Resource published by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): https://windexchange.energy.gov/offshore-workforce-safety-training
In conjunction with the Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW), NREL and the Network have hosted a free, open invitation event, the Offshore Wind Workforce Summit, as part of BNOW's Industry Partnering Form. The goal of this participatory summit is to foster partnership, collaboration, and new programs to address offshore wind industry workforce needs. Last year's event, sponsored by TotalEnergies, was attended by over 250 stakeholders (Figure 3). The Summit resulted in a document of best practices and lessons learned and shared by offshore wind workforce stakeholders.
As the Network and offshore wind industry grows, we are increasingly moving towards regional convening of Network members, so that members benefit from exchange on a regional and national level.
One challenge and opportunity that has emerged since the original priorities were defined by the Offshore Wind Workforce Network has been realizing the potential workforce demand within offshore wind manufacturing and supply chain roles. As part of this priority, NREL has released three relevant reports that quantify potential workforce in this area in various domestic content scenarios. In addition, NREL has created factsheets from these reports' data to make the contents of the report more accessible to workforce stakeholders.
Figure 2: Brainstorm activity for defining workforce priorities of the OSW industry and Network.
Figure 3: OSW Workforce Summit at BNOW's Industry Partnering Forum (credit: BNOW).
If you are interested in joining the Network, please contact us.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or interest in being involved in the Network – as a general member, in a working group, or as an advisory group member please contact us.
Offshore Wind Workforce
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by NREL.
This portal is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO). The United States Government retains, and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.
