Maritime Academy Gets $260,000 for Offshore Wind Training

The state grant will fund equipment, certifications, and helicopter underwater escape training for offshore wind workers.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Financial Aid

Bare steel training tower with a yellow frame above a grey harbor pool on a Cape Cod shoreline under overcast daylight. — Massachusetts Maritime Academy received a $260,000 state grant to expand helicopter underwater escape training tied to offshore wind workforce safety. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should Massachusetts keep spending public money on offshore wind job training?

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awarded a $260,000 grant to Massachusetts Maritime Academy to expand safety training tied to offshore wind work. The award is part of $4.2 million in state funding for 20 projects across Massachusetts.

Why it matters

Offshore wind projects require specialized safety certifications for personnel working on and around water. The grant aims to expand the training capacity needed to support that workforce in Massachusetts.

The $260,000 award is one of 20 projects sharing $4.2 million in state funding, with $1.7 million going through Offshore Wind Works and $2.4 million through Offshore Wind, Science, Research and Analysis. The announcement does not specify the number of trainees or the program start date.

The players

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

A fully accredited, four-year, co-educational state university on Cape Cod that trains mariners and maritime professionals.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

The state agency that administers clean energy funding and programs, including the Offshore Wind Works initiative.

RelyOn USA

A partner organization delivering helicopter underwater escape training in cooperation with the academy.

The details

The grant will fund equipment, certifications, and instructional capacity for Helicopter Underwater Escape Training, offered at the academy in partnership with RelyOn USA. The academy is a fully accredited, four-year, co-educational state university located on Cape Cod at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal.

The grant award was announced on November 5, 2026.

Career Pathways

The grant extends the Offshore Wind Works program by directing part of its funding toward workforce safety training for offshore wind careers. It positions Cape Cod's maritime academy as a training site in the state's offshore wind buildout.

Students interested in offshore wind careers may look to Massachusetts Maritime Academy for specialized safety certifications. Prospective trainees should check with the academy directly about program availability and enrollment requirements.

The takeaway

Specialized safety certifications are becoming a practical requirement for the offshore wind workforce. Anyone considering a maritime or energy career in Massachusetts can look to state-funded training programs as a pathway into the field.