Attentive Energy Two, working with the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, recently sponsored day passes for 50 community colleges students and administrators throughout New Jersey to attend a major offshore wind conference to learn and interact with industry leaders.
American Clean Power’s Offshore WINDPOWER conference, which took place Oct. 28-30 in Atlantic City, convened thousands of business leaders, developers, government officials and other stakeholders to discuss successes and challenges faced by the offshore wind industry.
The conference activities curated just for community college students and faculty on Oct. 30 featured an overview of the Attentive Energy Two project, a career roundtable with offshore wind industry experts, and networking opportunities with industry and supply chain providers. Participating students and faculty came from all 18 of the state’s community colleges.
“Offshore wind is a rapidly growing industry in the state and our next generation of workers must be equipped with the skills to take on the good-paying jobs it’s poised to create,” said New Jersey Economic Development Authority Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan.
“I applaud Attentive Energy for its proactive engagement of college students and its commitment to offering high-quality workforce development opportunities to help ensure residents across the state can reap the economic benefits of the industry,” Sullivan said.
Damian Bednarz, managing director of Attentive Energy, said the company is committed to leveraging New Jersey’s unique position to “foster inclusivity, growth and innovation in the local offshore wind industry.”
“One such example is our partnership with the NJ Council of County Colleges which exemplifies our commitment to supporting the local workforce, reaching across all 21 counties, and providing the most up to date information on opportunities in this sector and creating early pathways to participation,” Bednarz said.
Anne Reynolds, vice president of Offshore Wind for the American Clean Power Association (ACP) said that connecting students with industry leaders at the conference helps to solidify New Jersey’s leadership in the clean energy sector.
“Attentive Energy’s dedication to New Jersey’s community college students underscores the need to build a robust offshore wind workforce as this industry grows,” Reynolds said.
However, Attentive Energy Two’s collaboration with the NJ Council of County Colleges goes beyond the conference held by the ACA, a trade association that represents over 800 energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen, and transmission companies. Attentive Energy Two is also launching the OSW Workforce Pathways and Skills Collaborative with New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), an initiative aimed at establishing a robust offshore wind network for community colleges.
This partnership will provide funds for the development of offshore wind-related workforce and academic programs. It will also foster partnerships between higher education institutions and high schools to integrate them into the offshore wind industry. Attentive Energy’s funding will enable NJCCC to position coordinated workforce resources within the county college network.
“We are thrilled to partner with Attentive Energy Two on this unprecedented opportunity to bring students to a national conference and engage with industry professionals in one of the most dynamic and burgeoning fields in this State,” said Catherine Starghill, vice president of NJCCC. “This collaboration will significantly enhance our ability to prepare students for careers in the offshore wind industry, ensuring that New Jersey remains a leader in this vital sector.”
About Attentive Energy Two: Attentive Energy Two is an offshore wind project designed to help New Jersey meet its offshore wind targets and expand upon the state’s foundational offshore wind investments. Attentive Energy Two has developed a holistic offshore wind proposal, informed by engagement with hundreds of stakeholders over four years, that will create economic opportunities statewide reaching all 21 counties. Approximately 42 miles from its nearest point in New Jersey, the project is expected to power over 650,000 homes with clean renewable energy. The project is a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corio Generation, a partnership representing one of the largest offshore wind portfolios in the world.
