SECOND SHIFT · FROM THE FIELD
Long Island, New York · Offshore wind construction · Safety certification
Original reporting: Chris Berdik, The Hechinger Report · September 22, 2026 · Co-published with Grist and New York Focus
William “Billy” Bishop, a former Navy sailor and union laborer with Local 1298 on Long Island, saw a way back to working on the water when he learned about offshore wind construction jobs two years ago.
According to The Hechinger Report, Bishop earned a safety certification from the National Offshore Wind Training Center, a partnership of Suffolk County Community College, the Long Island Federation of Labor and wind developer Orsted. The credential led to work on a wind farm near Rhode Island. He now does structural inspections and maintenance on Sunrise Wind, which is under construction off Long Island’s coast. This summer, he renewed his certifications, which last two years.
The outcome is real, and so is the uncertainty around it. The report describes federal actions that have slowed the industry, including paused leases and permits, stop-work orders later overturned in court and rolled-back tax credits. The training center now sees more workers renewing credentials than first-time trainees.
Bishop told the publication he would gladly do the work for good, but he estimates about a year remains on the Sunrise project. After that, he expects he will likely return to construction on land unless offshore wind’s prospects change significantly.
Location Decision takeaway
Training put Bishop into skilled offshore work, but a credential becomes a career only with a steady pipeline of projects. Workforce programs tied to one emerging sector are stronger when their skills also carry back into onshore construction.
Second Shift tells the stories of people building what’s next through new skills, new careers and second chances. From the Field items are curated from credited reporting, with Location Decision’s perspective. Location Decision Originals are independently reported by our team.
Curated by Location Decision. Originally reported by Chris Berdik, The Hechinger Report, September 22, 2026.