Job fair planned for those seeking to work in the offshore wind industry

Farmingdale State College and the Business Network for Offshore Wind, an industry trade organization, will be hosting a virtual job fair Tuesday for job seekers looking for work in the offshore wind industry.

The OSW CareerMatch Job Fair, hosted by the Renewable Energy and Sustainability Center at Farmingdale, is an online career event designed to connect job seekers with company recruiters and promote job openings and upcoming industry opportunities over the next six to 12 months.

Open positions include port studies project managers, geophysicists, account managers, naval architects and mechanical engineers. Internships are also available.

Offshore wind projects have become a major priority for the state in recent years.

This year, the state will solicit bids for another 2,500 megawatts of offshore wind power following the awarding of a bid for 1,700 megawatts of offshore wind to developers Equinor of Norway and Orsted of Denmark.

Orsted plans to develop two wind farm projects off the East End: Sunrise Wind Farm and South Fork Wind Farm. Equinor will develop its farm, Empire Wind Farm, off of Jones Beach.

The project bids are part of the state’s goal of reaching 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy for New York by 2035.

The industry is projected to bring more than $1.2 billion in spending and 2,500 jobs to New York over the next five years, according to state estimates.

The event, running from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is free. To register, visit JobsConnected.com/offshore-wind.