CROWN POINT | Warning: Those who get sweaty palms and the heebie-jeebies at the thought of being interviewed looking 20 stories down at the ground below need not apply.
"The first time you stick your legs over a 300-foot high hub entry, you definitely have to feel prepared," said Crown Point's Rob Hefner.
Hefner, 29, was among 16 students at Kalamazoo Valley Community College who felt their best employment opportunities are up in thin air. They were the first graduates of the Michigan school's new Wind Turbine Technician Academy.
"It was a little nerve-wracking," said Hefner, a Lake Central High School graduate. "I had to climb out to one of the open portions so they could make sure I wasn't shaking.
"Then they asked a few basic questions to make sure I had a processing mind at that point. I was thinking it was an excellent view. I was baffled looking around at how tight the corridors were and the possibilities of doing work in there."
A wind turbine is a rotating machine that converts kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. Growth in the wind power industry has created a demand for a new profession – wind power technicians.
After KVCC's 26-week program, techs can earn from $30,000 to $45,000 annually before overtime. Due to the shortage, most companies require overtime of up to 30 hours per week. Starting wages range from $14 an hour to $21 an hour, but, with experience, earnings can be up to $38 an hour.
Business Week has reported the median pay is $53,600 and ranked the job 12th on its list of 21 best-paying green jobs. With an industrial power background, Hefner got a job as a wind sales specialist within two weeks with Arends Bros. in Illinois.
Classmates came from varied backgrounds, including high school graduates, the business world and the trades. Hefner was an entrepreneur, but switched careers on the economic promise of green technology.
"I wanted to be in an industry on the ground floor while I was young and be in a career I wouldn't have to worry about declining," he said. "I had a unique skill set as far as understanding power generation and the adventurous side of me to be willing to climb."
Hefner's father, 58-year-old Ken Hefner, of St. John, is proud, and he knew his son was uniquely suited.
"He's always been athletic and adventurous. He's scuba-dived with sharks in the Pacific Islands," said Ken Hefner, who owns Pioneer Mechanical Inc. in Hammond, which services power utility-based industries. "It takes a special kind of person. The inside of the turbine where they crawl around is like a space capsule, and you're up in the windiest areas of the country. And when you open up that hatch you're exposed. It's pretty hairy. I have some cowboys in my own business that might do that, but not many."
KVCC's training director Cindy Buckley stressed the program is vocational and its focus is narrowed to maintenance and repair skills.
"It will be interesting to see in five years how these careers have progressed," she added. "We have workers with basic skills, so it's a retraining that aligns well with what we have in mind."
The job outlook is virtually unlimited, and quick growth is expected for the next 10 years. Buckley said 1,500 to 2,400 technicians are needed annually to support the current pattern of industry growth. Graduates are recruited heavily, frequently getting three or four job offers. One wind power tech will be required for every 10 turbines.
The U.S. wind industry shattered all installation records last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Since 2002, turbine installations have jumped almost sevenfold.
And the government is poised to infuse billions of dollars into clean energy projects. KVCC already has received a $550,000 federal appropriation to buy specialized lab equipment, including a 90-foot tower and turbine unit for training purposes.
KVCC is the only school in the U.S. to offer a program that is based on a European certification standard and trains people to work on utility-grade turbines found on wind farms.
Hefner and his peers are on the cutting edge of careers blowing in the wind.
"As we went our separate ways and started meeting new people, we realized what we have done is exceptional," he said. "The feeling that we are pioneers is starting to settle in."
