Orsted has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) for a partnership that will support undergraduate scholarships and pre-college STEM programmes at NJIT.
The MoU entails a 10-year, $1.5m agreement that would create new scholarship and career development opportunities in the field of offshore wind for NJIT’s engineering and computer science undergraduate students.
The agreement also addresses STEM education gaps for underrepresented students in Newark by aiming to expand a range of STEM outreach events, initiatives and college-prep programming for local elementary, middle school and high school students at NJIT.
The MoU is contingent upon Orsted receiving an award from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for its 1.2GW Ocean Wind 2 project.
“This agreement marks the beginning of a promising partnership that opens dynamic new opportunities for our hardworking and high-achieving students with one of the world’s leading developers of renewable energy projects.
“Just as important, it also bolsters NJIT’s longstanding commitment to improving access to STEM careers for young people in our city,” said NJIT president Joel Bloom.
Under the MoU, annual Orsted Opportunity Scholarships would become available to NJIT undergraduate students pursuing degrees in fields of study related to Orsted’s IT operations, such as electrical and computer engineering, information technology, computer science, and data science.
Along with financial support and mentorship opportunities, the scholarships potentially create new co-op, internship and full-time job opportunities for NJIT students in areas related to offshore wind development as well as IT infrastructure and operations at Orsted’s new North American digital operations headquarters in Newark.