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Companies need qualified technicians now.
If you are considering a career in the North American wind industry, it is worth spending time looking at the types of training you will need to complete before you begin.
One place to start for those considering a career in the wind industry is the WINDExchange, which has a database of nearly 200 community colleges, universities, and other institutions across the U.S. offering specialized training. The WINDExchange is supported by the Wind Energy Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy.
The fact is, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, employment of wind turbine technicians will grow 61 percent through 2029, much faster than the average for other occupations.
Today, the top 10 states for wind energy and, therefore, careers are Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, North Dakota, California, Minnesota, Colorado, and Nebraska.
For example, High Plains Technology Center located in Woodward, Oklahoma, is listed in the WindExchange and offers a renewable wind energy technician program. The overall goal of the technology center is to support businesses and, located in the panhandle of Oklahoma, it can serve the wind industry in that state as well as Texas, Kansas, and Colorado – all in the top 10.
The keys to success are a 20-week program for wind technicians that is offered twice each year, with students oftentimes offered jobs before they graduate, as well as standardized courses of Global Wind Organisation (GWO) that is provided every two weeks in basic safety and technical training. High Plains has seven instructors focused on wind turbines and GWO modules. The majority of instructors also bring hands-on experience working as technicians on wind turbines.
“We team up with wind turbine contractors and subcontractors to offer GWO training,” says Taylor Burnett, assistant superintendent, business and industry services, High Plains Technology Center. “Companies need qualified technicians now, and GWO training is successful because everyone has the same certifications.”
In looking for a career, it is easy to find relevant, current information to search for jobs and build a career in the wind industry now and for the future.
The demand for wind energy continues to grow at a steady pace. By 2028, the world will need over 532,000 technicians to build and maintain wind fleets, both onshore and offshore. Notably, 40% of these roles will need to be filled by new entrants
Brazilian Association of Wind Energy and New Technologies, ABEEólica, has signed an MOU in strategic partnership with training standards body GWO. Tried and tested collaboration will provide certainty for all stakeholders, aligning Brazil’s safety regulations with globally recognised standards.
GWO and IRENA will initiate discussions of how global standards can best support skilled workforce development, in line with 2030 targets. Co-publication of the Jobs4RE Workforce Training Guidelines for the Wind Industry is set to follow in 2025.
The next generation of wind turbine technicians have a new training pathway to follow, courtesy of guidelines presented today by the Japan Wind Power Association working with GWO.
This GWO Positioning Paper provides an introduction to the key ambitions and terms of reference for a proposed expansion in opportunities to use a merit approach to safety & technical training in the wind industry
Global Wind Organisation (GWO) is pleased to announce Pattern Energy as its newest Leading Member. Pattern Energy has 29GW worth of global development and active construction projects under way, as well as 750+ commercial solar projects completed through its affiliates.