Massachusetts-based Bristol Community College and JDR Cables, supplier of subsea power cables and umbilicals and a part of the TFKable Group, have launched new collaboration to train the future workforce for the global offshore wind industry.
President Laura L. Douglas, Ph.D., of Bristol Community College, and Business Development Manager, at JDR, Neil Brown, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide technical job training as part of New England’s emerging offshore wind industry.
They were joined by the British Consul General to New England, Harriet Cross, and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Stephen Pike, today at a press conference held at the college’s downtown New Bedford campus.
“JDR is a global leader in the supply of products and services to the energy production and distribution markets and prides itself on technology innovation and customer focus,” said Neil Brown, Business Development Manager, at JDR. “Since the inception of the offshore wind power generation market in the UK and Europe over 12 years ago, we have been at the forefront of offering customer solutions for power cables and accessories.”
“This exciting partnership further demonstrates Bristol’s commitment to the training and development of high-paying careers in the offshore wind industry,” said Laura Douglas, Ph.D., President, Bristol Community College. “It also ensures that the college will be able to support the region’s emerging offshore industry sector with highly-skilled workers, innovative training programs and the shared use of specialized facilities well into the future.”
“JDR is extremely excited to have secured this strategic partnership with the Bristol Community College. Bringing JDR’s industry leading 66kV cable technology and innovative thinking from working on projects in the US and around the world will be so valuable to the future workforce. This collaboration is a critical step in not only JDR’s strategy but for the future local workforce who will be at the forefront of delivering offshore wind energy. With this agreement, we have successfully established another key step in our strategy for US offshore wind and we are now prepared to make our strategy a reality,” said David Nemetz, Director at JDR.
“Offshore wind offers Massachusetts workers a tremendous opportunity to pioneer a brand new industry and help build the state’s clean energy future,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Stephen Pike.