Conference: Pacific Northwest blue economy workforce development conference and academic needs assessment

This project will convene a workforce development conference that brings together Pacific Northwest (PNW) Blue Economy industry representatives and academic faculty from Oregon’s universities and community colleges. The Blue Economy, defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, jobs, and ecosystem health, is a rapidly growing sector in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). In Oregon and Washington, it contributes billions of dollars annually to the regional economy and supports over one hundred thousand jobs across industries such as fisheries, shipbuilding, ocean research, aquaculture, maritime transport, and emerging sectors like offshore renewable energy and marine biotechnology. As this sector expands, there is an urgent need to align workforce training and academic curricula with the evolving demands of Blue Economy employers. By strengthening communication and information exchange between employers and educators, this effort will help ensure that future workers are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in ocean-related fields. Ultimately, this project will support economic growth, job creation, and sustainable use of ocean resources in the PNW by informing and modernizing training programs that prepare the next generation of ocean technicians, data scientists, engineers, and researchers. The conference will provide a forum to identify workforce needs, skill gaps, and educational opportunities to better prepare students for careers in ocean science, engineering, technology, and data-intensive fields. Complementing this event, the leaders of the event will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of current and projected hiring needs within the PNW Blue Economy. The outcomes of this project will include collaborations between industry and academia, a workforce needs assessment based on employer input, and a publicly available report including actionable recommendations for updating or developing curricula. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.