GE trains wind technicians of the future

Aug 8 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Eric Anderson Times Union, Albany, N.Y.

Nacelles -- each the size of a small bus -- sit on the floor of General Electric Co.'s training facility here, holding the gears, generator and other equipment that create electric current out of wind.

Technicians in training scramble over and around them, and consult schematic diagrams and their laptop computers as they seek to fix problems with the equipment.

When the technicians head out to the field to fix real problems, the nacelles won't be so accessible. They'll be sitting atop towers 250 to 300 feet in the air.

They'll also be scrambling over the hubs to which the turbine blades are attached.

GE is ramping up its training effort to meet the growing need for workers to support the global expansion of renewable energy.

On Tuesday it announced a partnership with Excelsior College, a distance learning institution based in Albany, to offer nearly 50 college credits to GE employees for completing the company's wind technician certification program.

GE employees seeking to earn the company's Lead Certification Standard must complete more than 500 hours of training, including the hands-on field training that was under way Tuesday in Niskayuna. It also offers up to 300 hours of training to technicians employed by its customers, which include power generating companies and utilities.

GE has installed more than 18,000 wind turbines worldwide, said Daniel Lance, renewables training leader.

It has had a training program in place for a decade, said Adrian Skinner, an instructor with GE and alumna of Excelsior.

"We have people from all over the world who come here," she added.

Technicians typically earn $17 to $18 an hour to start, and those with senior certification typically make up to $30 an hour.

"With their overtime, a technician after two years can be making $80,000" a year, Lance added.

Meanwhile, demand for new technicians is growing, thanks to demographic changes.

"A bubble of retirees (is) coming through," Lance said. "This whole energy business is looking at a wave of retirements coming."

John F. Ebersole, president of Excelsior, said the college "recognizes the future of adult education will be increasingly aligned with the needs of businesses and workers alike, including the energy industry."

GE officials also say they're hoping the production tax credit for wind energy, which is due to expire at the end of the year, is extended.

"We're certainly advocates," Lance said.

eanderson@timesunion.com --518-454-5323