For Immediate Release
September 5, 2024

Suffolk County Community College Empowers Future Workforce with Innovative Summer Camps and Workforce Training Programs

Suffolk County Community College recently completed its Summer High School Offshore Wind Turbines course, designed to introduce high school students to the burgeoning field of wind energy. For a hi-res photo, visit: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UmfLZoYansyL2zBT6

Suffolk County Community College is pleased to announce the successful completion of its recent Summer High School Offshore Wind Turbines course, designed to introduce high school students to the burgeoning field of wind energy. The college held two separate summer sessions and provided students with a comprehensive, hands-on learning experience.

The first camp was comprised solely of participants from the South Huntington School District. The second camp welcomed students, including those from the South Huntington School District, as well as participants from 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, an organization administered by SUNY Farmingdale and Stony Brook University. The grant is titled “Strengthening the Wind Energy Education Pipeline (SWEEP).”

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

As part of the students’ comprehensive training experience, all students in the welding and basic composite technology programs also 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, offering valuable insights into the industry and future career paths. As a result, a number of students have already interviewed with labor unions for potential pre-apprenticeship opportunities in the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Additional students are scheduled to participate in these programs throughout 2024 and 2025. An inaugural cohort of a 60-hour composites course, leading to a 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 at its three campuses in Selden, Brentwood and Riverhead. Suffolk offers the Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, as well as a variety of certificate programs. Offering affordable college tuition, a highly respected Honors program, workforce training programs, extensive extracurricular activities, championship athletic teams, and numerous transfer programs, Suffolk is a first-choice college for Long Island students. Visit us online at sunysuffolk.edu.

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 # 0516-24-0041Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement Services (OAECES) & Office of Postsecondary Access, Support and Success (OPASS).

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