(Estherville)– Wind energy is among the fastest-growing employment fields in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says wind turbine technicians will be the second-fastest growing occupation in the country by 2031, and up 44-percent in the next decade. Michael Gengler, who leads the Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program on the Estherville campus of Iowa Lakes Community College, is working to fill the demand for what have become highly specialized jobs…
In the first year of the two-year program at Iowa Lakes, students get a basic understanding of the hand tools they’ll use on the job, plus how to climb safely, rescue skills, hydraulics and basic circuit wiring. Gengler says second-year skills are more advanced, and designed to land wind-energy jobs that are a step up from entry level…
Gengler points out that, contrary to popular belief, a lot of the specialized work that happens on wind turbines is done on the ground – not 300 feet in the air.
(Courtesy Iowa News Service)
