AWEA - Wind Industry Trade Association awards seal of approval to wind turbine service technician training programs

The AWEA Seal of Approval program assesses whether educational and training institutions with technician programs are teaching the skills that an entry-level service technician needs, as identified by experts among AWEA's 2,500 company members. AWEA unveiled the quality assurance mechanism late last year, when it called for applications.

The first three recipients of the Seal of Approval are:
- Columbia Gorge Community College's (The Dalles, Ore.) Renewable Energy Technology 9 Month Certificate Program for Wind Turbine Service Technicians

- Iowa Lakes Community College's (Estherville, Iowa) Associates of Applied Science in Wind Energy & Turbine Technology program, and

- Texas State Technical College's (Sweetwater, Texas) Associates of Applied Science in Wind Energy & Turbine Technology program

By serving as pilot programs, these academic training institutions also provided critical feedback to AWEA as the Seal of Approval was being developed. The AWEA Seal of Approval Review Committee awarded the Seals following a careful examination and review of the programs and their applications. The Seal was developed with the input of representatives of wind technician training programs along with members of the wind energy industry.

The Seal gives educational institutions the chance to gain recognition for quality programs, while supporting their efforts to provide students with the skills they need for a rewarding career. Students, meanwhile, will be able to list on their resumes that they have successfully completed a program awarded AWEA's Seal of Approval. And from the perspective of wind energy companies, the AWEA Seal of Approval Program will help fortify the industry with a pool of qualified technicians to enter the wind power work force.

"We are proud to roll out the AWEA Seal of Approval because the program truly helps build a stronger wind energy industry," said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. "Wind power is about job creation, and when those jobs are created, they need to be filled with a top-notch work force. The AWEA Seal of Approval is representative of both an ever-evolving, maturing industry as well as an association committed to meeting the needs of its members." The AWEA Board of Directors approved the skill set in November 2009.

The AWEA Seal of Approval program requires that institutional applicants be AWEA members for at least one year. Additionally, the program must have been in operation for at least one year and have graduated at least one class of students. Programs are reviewed by the AWEA Seal of Approval Review Committee members, who have been nominated and selected for their industry experience. The AWEA Seal of Approval is valid for two years (although programs will be required to check in with AWEA after one year to verify AWEA membership and receive the Seal of Approval Logo for the following calendar year).

The first Seal of Approval application window closed January 5. The next round for application submissions will be announced this spring. For more information, e-mail education@awea.org.

AWEA is the national trade association of America's wind industry, with more than 2,500 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world's largest wind power trade show. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. Look up information on wind energy at the AWEA Web site. Find insight on industry issues at AWEA's blog Into the Wind. Join AWEA on Facebook. Follow AWEA on Twitter.

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