Atlantic Cape Community College Wind Training Center in Atlantic City
MAYS LANDING — In preparation for a late 2023 grand opening, Atlantic Cape Community College’s new 1,700-square-foot Wind Training Center, located at the Charles D. Worthington Atlantic City campus, is searching for individuals for full- and part-time Wind & Renewable Energy instructors.
Joshua Menninger
Atlantic Cape Wind Training Center and Renewable Energy Programs Director Joshua Menninger is leading the effort to open the state’s first Global Wind Organization training center and deliver quality training designed to meet emergency response training requirements.
Menninger, who recently completed a five-week GWO-recognized Train the Trainer Program with Advanced Industry Solutions in North Shields, United Kingdom, is a U.S. Army veteran who held positions of training and operations manager, program administrator, and construction superintendent. The program certified Menninger to teach the future generations of the U.S. offshore wind industry.
Atlantic Cape will be the first GWO training provider in the state. The training program and supporting facility will enable the state to strengthen its leadership position in offshore wind energy. Atlantic Cape broke ground on October 28, 2021 on the Wind Training Center as part of a $2.9 million state grant aimed at growing the state’s offshore wind industry.
“The State of New Jersey has a target goal of 7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035, roughly 1 megawatt can power around 300 homes. Additionally, New Jersey is also projected to see approximately 20,000 new jobs related to offshore wind,” Menninger said. “To meet this demand, Atlantic Cape was awarded this grant to establish the state’s first GWO-recognized training center. Training programs, such as GWO Basic Safety Training, will lay the foundational framework for a safe workforce offshore and open the door for additional certifications required by many employers for career progression.”
The first step to any career in the wind industry is ensuring you have the certifications required. GWO sets the international standard for safety training and emergency procedures in the global wind industry. The Wind Training Center will provide the GWO Basic Safety Training with Sea Survival. Over five days, the training will provide 40 hours of instruction in the five modules. All offshore personnel in the wind industry are required to complete the minimum level of basic safety training. Training is delivered through a combination of theoretical and practical training.
The industry is the perfect transition for individuals already working in other areas of energy or similar production, and for those new to both onshore or offshore wind. With many career opportunities available, the route you choose in the wind industry will be contingent on interests, experience and qualifications.
“Our new hires will go through a GWO instructor certification journey, reinforcing the skills necessary to deliver training to those working offshore. This is a training program, so prior wind industry experience is desired, but not required,” Menninger said. “Those with a technical background in skills such as tower climbing, ropes, first aid, fire, water survival, general mechanical, hydraulics, electrical, and or other general safety subjects are wanted for these roles.”
The New Jersey Offshore Wind Safety Training Challenge is a grant program administered by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education with the support of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority..
Learn more about the Wind Training Center at https://workforce.atlantic.edu/professional-development/wind.php.
