One of 32 Winners Chosen Nationwide Out of More Than 500 Applicants
Solidifies State’s Standing as Premier Workforce Training Destination For Offshore Wind Industry
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today joined federal officials at Tradepoint Atlantic to announce the awarding of a $22.9 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant for the Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) to implement a new apprenticeship model to support the region’s growing offshore wind industry.
Maryland’s project is one of 32 chosen nationwide out of more than 500 applicants. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced the winners earlier today.
“This funding will ensure that Maryland employers and jobseekers stand ready to meet the demands of the flourishing offshore wind industry, which is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs in the State of Maryland and yield an economic impact of nearly $3 billion over the next 20 years in the Baltimore area and Central Maryland alone,” said Governor Hogan. “I want to sincerely thank Secretary Raimondo, Deputy Secretary Graves, and everyone at the U.S. Department of Commerce for recognizing that the State of Maryland truly is open for business, and that we have the tools and the talent necessary to continue building a steady pipeline of well-trained, skilled workers for these jobs of the future.”
In partnership with leading employers—including Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Crystal Steel Fabricators, US Wind, and Orsted Offshore North America—and seven local unions, the Maryland Works For Wind program will build a training model that meets the needs of employers and local communities. With a focus on formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, disconnected youth, and other underserved populations, Labor will train thousands of individuals to enter well-paying jobs in the industry. Overall, Maryland Works for Wind will place and/or upskill more than 4,300 Marylanders, strategically leverage $30 million in state and employer resources, and foster economic activity in 18 of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions.
The governor was joined at today’s event by U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves, Maryland Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robinson, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Rep. John Sarbanes, and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.
“The Biden Administration applauds Maryland Department of Labor’s efforts to boost the state’s growing offshore wind industry,” said Deputy Secretary Graves. “This EDA investment will create new job training opportunities that will lead to good-paying, clean energy jobs for local workers.”
Workforce development has been a top priority throughout the Hogan administration, including:
- The P-TECH education model, which gives young Marylanders the opportunity to earn a no-cost, two-year associate degree simultaneously with their high school diploma, while also getting the benefit of mentors and paid summer internships.
- Eliminating the four-year degree requirement for thousands of state jobs, a first-in-the-nation workforce initiative to promote opportunities for individuals who have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have developed their skills through alternate routes such as community college, apprenticeships, military service, boot camps, and most commonly, on the job.
- An expansion of registered apprenticeships to record levels, offering apprenticeships not just in the construction trades, but also in cybersecurity, information technology, digital and social media, and healthcare occupations.
- More than doubling funding for EARN Maryland, the state’s nationally-recognized program that connects partners with industry stakeholders. A recent study on the return on investment for the EARN program revealed that for every $1 of state funding invested, an additional $17.32 in economic impact is created.
I truly hope the people of Ocean City and Maryland fight this. It is truly going to be an eyesore for tourism and the coastal community as well as fisherman and wildlife. It a bad deal all around.
People go to the beach to get way from urban areas to enjoy nature. This is just more urban blight on the land and ocean. What they don’t tell you is how the blades kill birdlife and there is no way to recycle the material from the windfarms when they finally break down. People who live near these windfarms complain of constant noise from the turbines. This is not progress!
I would like to see their fire plan. there was a wind turbine struck by lightning in Texas and it burned for days…maybe still is. There is no equipment that can reach the top to put out the fire….WTF? Also the community college on MD eastern shore didn’t get theirs repaired because it wasn’t feastible so we know wind is not the way to go for large coverage. a home with a backyard windmill could work well…going back to old school.
The Coast Guard has fire boats. There, that’s the plan.
Let it burn
Yes and those 3 wind mills in Cordova are just standing there too for they don’t work anymore either.
Waiting to see them removed too
Wind does not work people
As we learn more about windmills and gain experience, we find that they DON’T work!
We get stuck with the bill as the investors get rich.
Long after the investors are gone the bill to demolish these windmills comes due and we pay again.
It’s always so foggy and hazy in Ocean City, that you won’t be able to see them anyway. Tourists don’t care. They just come down to eat and trash the place up and buy the disgusting T-shirts strung out all over the boardwalk.
This is totally the worst mistake of our looser Governor I guess he never checked out Crisfield and the failure there couldn’t ask the people their how they hate it, worst governor ever glad he is on his way out can’t be soon enough. Only got in on what I believe was a fake cancer scare, after election never mentioned and how is it he never lost a pound and just kept gaining weight, obviously he never read up what the real victims of cancer endured. Shame on you Hogan BYE BYE.!!!!!!
Yea can’t get rid of this fake fast enough
Had enough of all his lies
Worst Governor ever glad he is own his way out did nothing good for Maryland never kept a single good for us promise. This is his worst idea yet and that is saying a mouth full. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yet ANOTHER bad idea and WASTE OF MONEY. We’ve been paying for how many years now a ‘BAY RESTORATION FEE’? We foot a bill to clean it up and Herr Hogan comes along and advances money on WORTHLESS ‘wind energy’ for these turbines to LEAK OIL, clutter the waters, HARM MARINE and WILDLIFE and endless surprises that WILL befall this INSANE placement/idea. If he insists on pushing this BS, I want my money back for all the years I’ve had to pay into this wasteful ‘fee’.
IF – and that’s a God Forbid included – Herr Hogan should get lucky and get a spot in the 2024 Presidential run, he helps Marylanders by the day with proof as to why he SHOULD NEVER BE A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
The percussion from driving these into the seabeds will kill an untold number of sealife, and likely hurt the fishing industry for decades.
How about $$ $22.9 Million to Help Poor Middle class Americans & Animal Shelters instead !!!!!