From the soaring heights of wind turbines to fields of solar panels, the electric grid requires highly skilled professionals to power lights, entertainment devices, health care devices and AI data centers. Filling these roles takes hard work and training, and there are a variety of schools, internships and apprenticeships throughout the country to make that happen.
In the remote community of Kotzebue, Alaska, the convergence of necessity and innovation has created opportunities for electrical training focused on alternative energy. Kotzebue Electric Association is an electric cooperative whose reliance on expensive diesel fuel has driven the community to embrace renewable energy solutions and create hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring technicians.
Chad Nordlum started the energy careers program at Alaska Technical Center in Kotzebue with a grant and a plan. His goal is to open career opportunities to students while also meeting workforce development needs in his community. While the program is in its infancy, he sees promise.
Alaska Technical Center is part of Northwest Arctic Borough School District, but it doesn’t just serve secondary students. It also trains adults to meet the unique workforce needs above the Arctic Circle.
Chad, energy project manager for the Native Village of Kotzebue, says the first round of solar energy and energy-efficiency classes were successful.
“We’re designing our next round,” he says, which includes getting funding. “Those things take time.”
Although students aren’t required to stay in Kotzebue after completing the program, he hopes they do.
“We’re a pretty remote area,” Chad says. “We plan on a lot of them staying. Of course, the more skills you have, the more opportunities are available to you. Regardless, energy careers and alternative energy are good fields to go into.”
The technical school program isn’t the only initiative in Kotzebue preparing people for careers in energy. The Alaska Center for Energy and Power established Kotzebue as a research hub, creating real-world learning laboratories where students can gain experience with energy technologies.
The T3 Alaska program—Teaching Through Technology—teaches rural high school and college students about careers in energy, and the co-op is deeply involved.
“Kotzebue Electric Association takes folks to the statewide conference, where professors come in and talk to kids interested in such careers,” Kotzebue Electric Association CEO Tom Atkinson says. “Kotzebue brings the kids to tour the cooperative and sit down and have conversations with our staff.”
Ready for Wind Power
Columbia Gorge Community College’s electro-mechanical technology program prepares students for careers in a variety
of alternative energy positions.
“Our graduates are well-qualified to serve in any number of industries as large-scale electrical service technicians,” says Tom Penberthy, the community college’s director of marketing and communication.
Graduates of the program go on to work in power generation and transmission, wind, hydropower and solar energy, manufacturing, industrial automation, avionics and material processing.
Gilbert Cooksey is one such graduate. Originally from Panama, he maintains wind turbines for Avangrid in Oregon, where possibilities for careers are continuing to grow.
Most graduates begin their careers as plant maintenance technicians to round out their skill base before advancing into design, engineering or managerial roles. It is also common for students to take the first year of the program to learn electrical fundamentals and boost their credentials when applying for the electrician’s union.
The program has two options—a nine-month certification program that can be completed in one year, or a two-year associate of applied science program. Several customized versions of the program have been tailored for industry partners, with evolving training needs for their existing workforces.
Students receive hands-on training in the form of weekly labs designed to reinforce the theoretical concepts learned in the classroom, expose students to a variety of industrial-grade equipment and components, and encourage them to develop their troubleshooting process
and abilities.
Apprenticeships are not a required component of the program, but faculty members work to connect students with internships, apprenticeships and other starting positions within the industry. Industry partners currently recruiting from the electromechanical student pool with active internship programs include Trillium Engineering and Hewlett Packard.
Solar Experience
Florida’s abundant sunshine and growing commitment to renewable energy have created opportunities for solar energy technicians and installers. The Florida Solar Energy Apprenticeship Program provides a pathway to state certification as a Florida solar contractor, which allows installation of solar electric photovoltaics and thermal systems.
The apprenticeship program has been approved by the Florida Department of Education so graduates can work anywhere in the state, says Colleen Kettles of the Florida Solar Energy Center. While apprenticeships at that department are geared primarily to home and business installations, Moss and Associates in Florida provides a program that prepares apprentices for utility installation work.
“The Florida Solar Energy Center’s apprenticeship is a two-year program that includes 2,000 hours per year of on-the-job training, which is basically an apprentice’s full-time job,” Colleen says.
Then there is classroom instruction, which is 144 hours a year. Colleen says the center has about 295 hours of classroom education over two years, including hands-on learning labs and assessments. About 10 employers participate in the program, with 35 to 40 apprentices.
On the Line
The backbone of America’s electric infrastructure is the power grid maintained by skilled lineworkers. These professionals require extensive training to safely work with high-voltage systems that can be lethal if handled improperly.
Lineworker schools across the country provide a foundation of learning for students who go on to complete on-the-job training through apprenticeships at electric utilities. Students learn to climb utility poles, work with energized lines and perform emergency repairs during storms and outages.
Some schools, such as the Southeast Lineman Training Center in Trenton, Georgia, and the Northwest Lineman College in Meridian, Idaho, promote high employment rates for graduates, often in the 90% range.
Alternative and traditional energy jobs exist for the taking, and learning opportunities are available. No matter where students live—above the Arctic Circle, in the Sunshine State or anywhere in between—they have the power to choose a career in energy.