The first 40 students of the Northwest Renewable Energy Institute in Vancouver recently graduated as wind turbine technicians.
The six-month training program, which started in July as the latest division of the International Air and Hospitality Academy, prepares students for careers maintaining and fixing turbines in the growing wind energy industry.
Students learn about wind energy safety, and mechanical, electrical and hydraulics systems, metal science and programmable logic controllers.
Most of the first class received federal job-training stimulus grants to pay the $11,000 tuition. And several of the new grads have already landed jobs at wind farms across the U.S., said Arch Miller, founder of the Institute.
