Collaborative Research: Beginnings: Engaging and Preparing the Offshore Wind Workforce through Hybrid Experiential Learning

Award ID: 2526201

Offshore wind energy is an emerging, safety-critical sector facing persistent workforce challenges in building and sustaining a skilled workforce. These include limited early exposure to real-world work environments, costly and risky site access, unclear career pathways, and rapidly evolving digital and automation technologies. These challenges reduce interest, slow skill development, and make it harder to retain workers. By coupling cohort-based mentoring, cross-sector partnerships, participatory co-designed modules, micro-credentials tied to industry skills, and shared digital assets, the project will broaden participation and build a prepared, resilient, and technologically agile workforce. The resources and training model developed through this work can also be applied to other maritime and emerging technology fields with analogous workforce challenges, helping to grow the U.S. workforce and increase access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. This project will pilot a multi-phase offshore wind experiential learning framework led by an interdisciplinary team with complementary expertise from Northeastern University, the University of Alabama, and a range of industry, educational, and public sector partners. It will support community college and engineering students through low-cost, immersive at-home training that includes personalized coaching powered by artificial intelligence, followed by a supplemental certificate program and co-op or internship opportunities for students who demonstrate strong interest. The program features a structured, modular curriculum aligned with industry needs; a cohort-based model that fosters peer support, reflection, and iterative improvement; and continuous mentorship from the project team, industry professionals, and previous cohort participants to support both learning and career exploration. The program will track participants readiness, learning outcomes, and retention to support an iterative co-design process that refines training modules and credentials. This project offers scalable early exposure to offshore wind careers, technical skills, and worksite challenges, preparing students for success in the field. The work aligns with ExLENTs mission by creating scalable and data-driven experiential learning pathways for emerging technologies and by openly sharing its tools and outcomes for broader impact. The ExLENT Program, supported by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals to increase their interest in and access to career pathways in emerging technology fields. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Sharon Bird