South Coast to benefit from $27 Million ten-year commitment toward offshore wind workforce – newbedfordguide.com

Mayflower Wind ratifies new fund with SouthCoast Community Foundation.

The recently announced state award to Mayflower Wind to supply Massachusetts with offshore wind energy means a significant commitment to local workforce and economic development through their newly created fund with the SouthCoast Community Foundation.

Over the next ten years, the Mayflower Fund will receive a total of $27 million toward inclusive, equitable, and diverse employment, training, and supply chain opportunities related to the offshore wind industry in the Southeastern Massachusetts region.

The benefits for this region from offshore wind are significant. This is an opportunity for the South Coast to flourish, and building a workforce that is local, talented, and ready to do this work, is key, stated John Vasconcellos, SouthCoast Community Foundation President and CEO. We are thrilled to be a partner to Mayflower Wind, providing that much-needed link into the communities that Foundations provide.

We look forward to delving into the process to create an informed and comprehensive assessment of the regions needs, which begins with meeting with key stakeholders and doing a lot of listening.

The Mayflower Fund economic development activities and investments, underpinned by diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, will span the SouthCoast Community Foundation service area, including Greater New Bedford, Greater Fall River, Southern Plymouth County, and in total 41 cities and towns across four counties of Southeastern Massachusetts.

The Fund has two focus areas. The workforce, education, and training component will provide resources for local, nonprofit educational institutions such as vocational and technical schools and community colleges to create paid training, internship, and apprenticeship programs to support workforce development.

The supply chain component will work with municipal officials, state economic development authorities and departments, the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, and other key stakeholders to identify and fund nonprofit-based projects, programs, and initiatives that build employment and economic development opportunities on the South Coast that are related to the Offshore Wind industry.

The Community Foundation will manage it with input from key industry stakeholders, including state and municipal development authorities, labor groups, academic institutions, business associations, and diversity, equity, and inclusion NGOs, among others.

The offshore wind industry has the potential to provide significant economic and environmental benefits to the people and businesses across the South Coast, said Michael Brown, CEO, Mayflower Wind. But in order to truly succeed we need strong partnerships with organizations such as the SouthCoast Community Foundation, who truly understand the needs of the community, to ensure we are fostering a just transition toward a sustainable energy future.

The SouthCoast Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts through philanthropy. The Community Foundation mission is to mobilize philanthropy by matching donors and resources with community needs for the benefit of the region. Since 1995, the organization has distributed over $50 million from more than 200 funds to humanitarian, educational, and cultural organizations in the region. For more information, visit http://www.southcoastcf.org

View post:

South Coast to benefit from $27 Million ten-year commitment toward offshore wind workforce - newbedfordguide.com