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TIFFIN, OH -- To help train employees necessary for new green-collar jobs, Terra Community College will offer a new Wind Power Technology Certificate beginning this fall.
“This certificate will prepare students for a rewarding career in the fast-growing field of renewable energy,” said Bruce Meyer, Dean of Technologies and Workforce Development at Terra. “And it will be stackable, meaning a student can use their certificate credits toward an associate degree.”
Programs like this will be critical as business, industry and governmental agencies attempt to protect the environment and develop sustainable energies. It is also key for workers who need to transition to other jobs after factory closures and lay-offs.
Daniel Esty, director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University, recently told the Community College Journal that community colleges will be heavily involved in the greening of America.
“There will be substantial opportunity In the green economy this year and the years ahead,” he said. “Despite the economic difficulties facing so many industries, the clean-tech world looks poised for growth. And the training provided at community colleges may be critical in terms of positioning people for a good number of these interesting opportunities.”
The Wind Power Technology Certificate at Terra deals with the areas involved in the production of electricity from wind power, including turbines, the towers and the actual generating units.
John Fellhauer of Fellhauer Mechanical Systems will be the instructor for the wind power classes. He recently announced that he and Oak Harbor resident Curtis Stokes are opening a wind turbine manufacturing company in Portage Township.
SUREnergy, which stands for Sustainable Use of Renewable Energy, will assist customers in everything from applying for government rebates to the actual
installation.
Terra’s Wind Power Technology Certificate program consists of about 21 credits. Classes include: DC Circuits, Electronics, Electricity, Power Electronics, AC/DC Machines, Electrical Codes and Prints, Safety, Hydraulics, Fundamentals of Wind Energy and OSHA Standards: Wind Energy.
According to David Wldawsky, acting director of the National Center for Environmental Innovation at the Environmental Protection Agency, community colleges in particular are well positioned to help students “green” their trades.
Many people, such as electricians, already possess transferable talents, relevant experience and often academic degrees, Widawsky told the Community College Journal. The “upskilling” of existing expertise through additional training, he said, only opens the door wider to employment opportunities.
For more information on the Wind Power Technology Certificate, call the Technologies and Workforce Development Division office at 419-559-2410.
