Partnership Creates Green Economy Job Training Opportunities

Collin College will partner with Tech Wind Servicesand the Texas Workforce Commission to create a new registered apprenticeship program for wind turbine technicians that could open up new Green Economy job opportunities in North Texas.

Collin College assisted Tech Wind Services in securing the $48,234 ApprenticeshipTexas Expansion grant which will allow Tech Wind Services to recruit, serve, and fund 20 paid apprenticeships over 18 months in the growing industry.

We are excited to help facilitate this program and to encourage new educational opportunities in the green economy, said Karen Musa, executive dean of Corporate College & Continuing Education at Collin College.

Pedro Cunha, business manager for Tech Wind Services which is currently moving its corporate headquarters from Brazil to McKinney, agrees that it is a unique opportunity and said that the training and apprenticeship programs will fill a growing need.

We have more demand than we can supply because there just arent enough wind turbine technicians in the market, Cunha said. This will be the first program of its kind in North Texas. Once we start this program, it could be a magnet for other curricula and people coming in looking for those jobs. It is a long-term goal to benefit our community.

Through its Continuing Education division, Collin College will offer the Wind Turbine Technician Fundamental Skills program this fall for 20 potential apprentices at the Technical Campus. The courses will cover American Wind Energy Association Core Skill Set for Wind Turbine Technicians, including basic hydraulics, basic mechanical skills for energy, and more. The college will utilize existing faculty for some of the subject matter, but is in the process of contracting an instructor to teach specialized materials.

Tech Wind Services or other wind energy partners will conduct the on-the-job training portion of the apprenticeship on wind turbines in the field. Apprentices at Tech Wind Services will take their first steps toward receiving Global Wind Organisation (GWO) certification, which will allow them to work on any windfarm in the country.

A windfarm is a power plant. Its beautiful because it is green and renewable, but in reality, it is a power plant, Cunha said. You must be certified just to access a power plant, and that is what this program will do.

Collin College is establishing the registered apprenticeship program now and will begin accepting applicants in the near future. People interested in the program are encouraged to stay tuned for more details as they become available.