Suffolk Reporter

Suffolk County Community College has announced the successful completion of its recent Summer High School Offshore Wind Turbines course, aimed at introducing high school students to the field of wind energy. The college held two separate summer sessions, providing students with a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience.

The first camp included participants exclusively from the South Huntington School District. The second camp welcomed students from both the South Huntington School District and the New York State STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program) grant program.

The program is sponsored by a grant awarded by the Offshore Wind Training Institute, administered by SUNY Farmingdale and Stony Brook University. The grant is titled “Strengthening the Wind Energy Education Pipeline (SWEEP).”

This offshore wind turbines course is part of Suffolk County Community College’s broader effort to prepare students for careers in the renewable energy sector. The grant also enabled the college to expand its welding and composites training programs. Since launching these programs, students have successfully completed both welding and Introduction to Basic Composite Technology courses, with a majority passing the American Welding Society (AWS) certification exam.

As part of their comprehensive training experience, all students in the welding and basic composite technology programs participated in career exploration workshops. These workshops featured guest speakers from the National Offshore Wind Training Center, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and Community Offshore Wind. As a result, several students have already interviewed with labor unions for potential pre-apprenticeship opportunities.

Additional students are scheduled to participate in these programs throughout 2024 and 2025. An inaugural cohort of a 60-hour composites course leading to national certification by CertTEC is scheduled for Spring 2025. The college has also developed offshore wind career exploration modules in collaboration with the Institute for Workforce Advancement. These modules aim to engage underrepresented populations and post-high-school students by providing insights into wind energy fundamentals, local projects, and career opportunities. To date, three workshops have been held, with 12 more planned throughout the remainder of the grant project. Portable simulations will be used to enhance engagement at career fairs, libraries, and community venues.

About Suffolk County Community College:

Suffolk County Community College is the largest community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, enrolling approximately 21,000 students across its three campuses in Selden, Brentwood, and Riverhead. Suffolk offers Associate degrees in Arts (A.A.), Science (A.S.), Applied Science (A.A.S.), as well as various certificate programs. With affordable tuition rates, a respected Honors program, workforce training initiatives, extensive extracurricular activities, championship athletic teams, and numerous transfer programs, Suffolk remains a first-choice institution for Long Island students.

Research/Work reported in this press release was supported by SUNY System Administration under SUNY Offshore Wind Training Institute.

STEP is funded by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) Project #0516-24-0041 Office of Access Equity & Community Engagement Services (OAECES) & Office of Postsecondary Access Support & Success (OPASS).

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