Training and Jobs in the 21st Century: Neither Your Father's Training (Nor Job)

I too would ask...what kind of training is needed? I teach at a community college and we are always looking at ways to better train our students for such jobs.

Is there something special that is needed? What specific skills are we talking about here?

In Minnesota, and I suspect elsewhere, there is a shortage of well-drillers for vertical loop fields for ground source heat pumps. When I installed my system in 2001, boreholes were $1000 each in the Minneapolis area; today they are $2500 each. I think the only reason for this is a shortage of well-drillers.

We have a program that was made to provide a solution to help students get their dream job in the energy industry, and may help in your search. The Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) is an educational adventure program in Costa Rica designed to train university students through exclusive hands-on experience in the five types of renewable energy (hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, wind, solar) through intensive tour plants visits and critical capstone projects, while also enjoying Costa Rica's adventurous and cultural aspects. Upon program completion, students receive personalized letters of recommendation based on their specific experiences and capstone projects to help them become more marketable to future employers. Several universities have expressed interest in providing this program to their students either through their study abroad, engineering, public policy, education, business, environmental science, or career services departments. A major university is also including this program as an accredited course their students can register for.

For more information, please feel free to visit us at www.greenworknow.com, and email Melissa at melissa@greenworknow.com if you have any questions!

While waiting in line to get summer music theater tix at a 'pay what you want' price; I had a long chat with a voc. tech. teacher about the 'disconnect' between their STEM program graduates coming out of pre-engineering track and the actual hiring requirements in the alt. energy field.

All the incentives and subsidies are going into 4 year liberal arts programs at the U. of Maine, while the 'high-demand' programs at the emerging community programs have waiting lines several years long, i.e. automotive electronics is one.

Core fundamentals are essential; yet it's pretty hard to convince a teen that Calculus and Chinese are essential skills. Then they wonder why there is a high reject rate of Maine graduates;in an increasingly globalized job marketplace.

My view is that mentor/apprenticeship programs at an early age so a student can see just how technically demanding these jobs are; and get a glimpse of the future. Then, if they qualify into relevant certificate programs which gives them job skill and $$$. And finally a license....if you want to install solar PV; you need an electrician's license and probably a union label; if you want to install solar Thermal you need a plumber's licence and probably HVAC certificates.

The best training comes from a dealer who can provide 'factory training'. Major wind turbine manufacturers now insist that their products be installed by someone who they've trained.

I related my training at IBM's once fabled school for Accountants and corporate 'universities'.

His graduates just get pushed out and go their individual ways; without a career path that lays out way stops at certificate, licensing, corporate training facilities all while working in their career field. Perhaps career mentoring is a solution?

I work in two areas: micro-hydro and anaerobic bio-gas refineries.

Both quickly verge off into professional specialties...micro ranges from civil and hydraulic engineering into electronics, electrical circuitry, integration into hybrid and off the grid electrical systems, and cyclical weather forecasting. Bio-gas refineries can even get into custom designs for microbes, i.e. genetic engineering.

Site assessments can get complicated, just becoming expert on the Canadian siting programs like RETSCREEN is well worth learning..and the best place to learn them and piping programs is in a college...but find one that will take the time to learn how they work and what they produce as a salable product.

My primary skill is that of a conceptual designer of systems; who coordinates a team of relevant experts to deliver a suitable design that can be installed by the owner or a local contractor. Project management and other 'people' skills.

Maybe project oriented teams of students who 'consult' with real experts is the most valuable skill of all? ....and never forget who is going to put their reputation and insurance policy on the line and sign the final plan for government approval? So perhaps having your student work with a P.E. is even a more critical skill?

I think this concern with capturing jobs ought to be named schizophilia, wherein we witness flag-waving by RE businesses that argue the need for RE as a global solution to GH warming, but the need for local jobs wherever they happen to have set up shop...meanwhile they import the cheapest parts and export to the highest bidder.

Frank,

I thank you for your comments. This is an area of great interest to us at the community colleges. We want our students to be trained in a way that is viable for the new technologies. At my community college, we have several people who see the new technology and renewable energy as a part of the employment readiness we are trying to move our students into as they graduate. I would love to get more comments or ideas. Please feel free to email me if you come up with more. (jrishel@wccnet.edu) We are in the process of creating business partnerships where specialized training for particular businesses is a mutual goal. It is beneficial for everyone involved.

Love your idea of a student working with a P.E. as well! It is not something we had focused on.

Thanks again!

Building any infrastructure is not inconsequential, but building a workforce, and a clean energy one, is, well, an awesome task. Policies, rules, regulations put in place as we have these conversations will set the training and education path for decades to come. Learning, training, teaching takes place in many different places, in many different forms. If we're really honest enough and admit the reality of the finiteness of all resources, we'd exhale a torrent of ideas, and fuel a responsive, enthusiastic, and inspired workforce, for inspiration is, after all, the very essence of the human condition.

Recruiting a 'career' mentor to partner with a student on developing a 'road map' to their future should not be that hard to organize.

With the internet, links can be established world wide exposing a student to global opportunities and venues not thought about. World Bank financed projects; national guard mentoring; etc.

Drawing a road map would be an interesting undertaking; what to take and where to take it? How to combine a work opportunity half way around the world with future training at home? Learning how to traffic around part-time, temporary, and volunteer jobs that yield valuable experience.

It is not that hard to track money coming into a given area and prepare students to go after the jobs being created; esp. with massive subsidy & stimulus programs.

You know the money is coming down the pike, but you don't know who the 'winners' are going to be; however it is possible to track applicants for federal grants and send then a 'if you get that grant, we'd like to place several of our students in your project. Do you have room for them?' invitation.

Pleased with the write ups and informations shared through this article and conversation posted. I, myself, is also an renewable energy scholar focused my research activities and interested as well in the field of small scale hydro power generation. I have done some work on pico and peltric system in remote hilly areas of Nepal. I have made research work on the performance improvement of the peltric system taking consideration of technical, social and economical aspects. There are still some specific areas that we can improve the efficiency of existing micro hydro power system. Some of my research information are published in a couple of international conferences from Nepal to Sweden.

I am keen interested to work with some professional organisation that are really focused to carry out some research work in this sector. Though I am based in London, UK in academic and research activities, I have peer interest in the promotion and development of intensified renewable energy technology in the different parts of the world from Bhutan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and African countries.

Thank you

Bed Bhattarai
bedpb1@gmail.com
Renewable Energy Professional