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The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EAS Carpenters Union) held a graduation ceremony earlier this month, marking the first class to complete training at the new EAS Commercial Dive Center in Sicklerville.

Opened in the spring of 2022, the state-of-the-art facility is the first union-owned and operated dive school in the county. It is aimed at providing the workforce development and skills necessary in the evolving energy infrastructure and offshore wind spaces.

Some features of the dive center, located on an existing lake, include: classrooms, offices, a dock, underwater welding stations and a decompression chamber. The EAS Carpenters Union says the facility provides the most up-to-date, hands-on training to members – giving the onshore and offshore contractors a competitive edge to bid any job.

The union is also in the final stages of earning accreditation by the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI),which would make them the only trade union in the country to earn such a distinction.

Last month, the facility was recognized with Oceantic Network’s Ventus Award for Supply Chain Advancement in the Public Sector category.

“Keeping up with an ever-growing industry requires continuous investment in educational resources,” said William Sproule, executive secretary-treasurer of EAS Carpenters Union, in a press release. “Our first-ever Commercial Dive Center class is the last piece of the renewable energy puzzle that represents innovation in training.”

“Dive training has been traditionally limited for the carpenters union because it lacked a dedicated facility, requiring costly partnerships, but now we are able to offer a four-year program at the 10,000-square-foot facility free of charge for our members and apprentices,” said Timothy Waring, training coordinator of EAS Carpenters Tech, which became the first trade school in the country to achieve a Global Wind Organisation (GWO) certification. “As New Jersey and the nation invest more heavily in constructing offshore wind farms to produce electricity, this graduation marks an exciting milestone for the EAS Carpenters Union and its graduating class.”