California powers up wind training

Looking for a job in this lousy economy?

The wind industry is hiring technicians to keep the nation's 30,000 wind turbines spinning. Starting pay is $15 to $20 an hour. Crack workers can make six figures a year if they’re experienced and willing to travel.

  The trouble is training. Despite all the talk about the U.S. moving to a renewable energy economy, few technical programs are available in the nation’s community colleges and vocational schools. Only a handful of schools nationwide offer wind technician training.

   California, the nation’s No. 3 wind state, is trying to speed workers into the industry with a “boot camp” approach. In just eight weeks, (and for $1,000 in tuition) students get a crash course in safety and operating basics.

  First out of the gate are Cerro Coso Community College in Kern County and Shasta College in Redding. Seats are scarce. Cerro Coso can take only 15 students at a time. Its current boot camp is full, and so is the next course.

  Click here to learn more about how California is powering up its wind training.

-- Marla Dickerson

Photo: Students at Cerro Coso Community College's wind boot camp get a glimpse of their future at a wind farm in Kern County. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[sheila]

this is definitely a growth industry since these turbines work very little of the time. they are constantly breaking down, and repair people have to sign confidentiality agreements so they aren't allowed to tell the truth about how infrequently the turbines work. odd. those windmills down by Palm Springs run at 16% of rated capacity, which is quite a small output considering the blight on the landscape and the huge expense...

Germany has created over 250,000 jobs in renewable energy, with most of them in the rooftop solar biz. their system of loans and payments to ratepayers who generate more power than they use has created a huge boost in employment, in ratepayer income streams and property values.

hmmm. which is better for us? broken down Big Energy boondoggles or democratizing the grid?

[Tom]

In the few days since this article was published, the tuition for this course has doubled to $2,000. Thanks LA Times.

[Clifton Watson]

People reading this should check out windtraining.net. I don't know. It looks kind of neat if you're into that sort of thing. It is one of those blogs set up probably for marketing purposes, but at least it seems to have legit info for anybody who is interested in wind training.