Building a First of Its Kind Offshore Wind Job Taxonomy with NREL

Challenge

The offshore wind sector is facing a significant challenge: the lack of a well-defined industry taxonomy for job titles, skills, certifications, and education. This gap not only creates difficulties for employers, educational institutions, and job seekers in aligning training and career development with the industry's needs but also limits the ability to accurately assess regional readiness to support and grow the offshore wind workforce.

Solution

To address this challenge, Julius collaborated with Wind Energy researchers at NREL to refine skill, certification, and education data for approximately 250 offshore wind jobs. This provides a singular, deep repository of insight into a rapidly growing sector, addressing a critical gap in specificity and standardization in the sector today.

Impact

The project will result in the delivery of a publicly available Offshore Wind Job Taxonomy that will help federal, state, and municipal leaders better grow the offshore wind workforce. By defining a standardized list of required skills, certifications, and educational qualifications, Julius and NREL are also empowering employers, educators, and job seekers to help build and participate in the sector. This foundational work is crucial for preparing the wind energy sector to meet its workforce challenges, supporting the growth and sustainability of this vital industry.