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Wind Energy Workforce Development:

A Roadmap to a Wind Energy Educational Infrastructure

Ian Baring-Gould

Technology Deployment 

Manager

Deployment and Market 

Transformation – National 

Wind Technology Center

May 25, 2011

NREL/PR-7A20-51599

Photo from Judi Sigler, NREL/PIX16254
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

20% Wind Energy by 2030

2 %

20 %
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Direct Jobs Per Year

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Thousands of Jobs

Construction, Manufacturing and Operations Jobs

Cumulative Operations Period

total manufacturing only

Construction Period Less 

Manufacturing

• More than 50% of U.S. turbine components are manufactured domestically (job numbers assume 

75% domestic content)

• Project deployment only (does not include R&D, education, advocacy, government, NGOs, etc.)

• Domestic market only (a great deal of international potential).
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The Education Challenge

Infrastructure: 

• Schools focused on mineral extraction have existed for many years (example: the statesupported Colorado School of Mines started in 1866).

• New energy education systems are not developed every day (examples: NG ‘80s, 

nuclear ‘60s).

Varying assumptions of federal roles: 

• DOE provides $9.2 million for university educational infrastructure and student-focused 

support in the nuclear industry; the Wind Program provides less than $1 million. 

• Funding from DOC and DOI is generally “locally” driven and technology agnostic.

Large need, smaller pool:

• Center for Energy Workforce Development 

estimates ~46% of all engineering jobs in 

the utility sector could be vacant by 2012 

while the number of people entering 

technology fields is trending down.

• Most of the engineers in the power sector 

are men, but the rate of men entering 

higher education has leveled off or is 

decreasing.

• The number of women and minorities at 

universities is increasing, but they are not 

entering the sciences and engineering.

Center for Technology and Learning Media building at the Colorado School of Mines in 

Golden, Colorado. Photo from Anderson, Mason, Dale Architects, NREL/PIX12815
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

So the Question Is...

Where do we go from here?

As with many things, it will 

require silver BBs rather than bullets.

Photo from iStock/15047146
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Where We Stand

Many efforts are underway... 

• Various industry groups/sectors (AWEA, Wind Alliance, industry)

• Educational organizations (universities, community colleges, 

NABCEP, NEED)

• Department of Energy (WWPP, EERE, OE, Science)

• National laboratories (NREL, INL, ORNL)

• State programs (state or federally funded)

• National Science Foundation (I/UCRC, Centers)

• U.S. Department of Labor

• U.S. Department of Education 

• NGOs (ACORE, WoWE)

• Labor/trade organizations.

Few of these efforts are coordinated. 

Building national agreement takes time 

– time that people don’t have.

www.windpoweringamerica.gov/schools/projects
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NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

National Challenges and Paths Forwards

• Teacher training programs

• Program development support

• Coordinated educational pathways

• Lack of defined career ladders, pathways, and training 

programs directed at industry; understanding 

• the remote nature of the wind industry (technical 

skills)

• that people enter the field with experience from other 

energy sectors (advanced skills)

• Expand wind energy skills analysis – who will be 

needed when Photo by David Parsons, NREL/PIX05566

Photo by Warren Gretz, NREL/PIX11255

• Lack of standards and skill categorization 

to understand which skills are needed for 

different personnel and job types

• Need stronger industry alignment & 

collaboration with academia at all levels

• Cross-disciplinary advisory group and 

support structure (the NWCC of wind 

education).
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Primary and Secondary Educational Programs

Challenges:

• Lack of energy literacy with few 

students entering the energy, 

engineering, and science fields

• Shortage of science teachers

• Student tracking (as low as 6th

grade)

• Lack of engagement of women 

and minorities at appropriately 

young ages.

Progress:

• Good standards-based curricula 

(NEED Project, KidWind, 4-H, 

Energy for Educators, Wind 

Wise)

• High student interest levels in 

wind, RE, and the environment

• National focus (STEM, MESA) 

• State-based programs targeting 

RE and wind (Michigan, 

Wisconsin, and New York)

• National-level programs (Wind 

for Schools)

• BLS “Careers in Wind Energy.”

The South Dakota Wind Application Center sponsored a wind 

workshop as part of the Wind For Schools Project. Photo from South 

Dakota Wind Application Center, NREL/PIX18283
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Potential Paths Forward: K-12 Education

• Implement K-12 wind energy education

• Expand K-12 teacher-training programs

• Expand efforts to coordinate and support K-12 

curricula development, including technical 

review

• Expand K-12 school partnerships with 

industry and higher education, providing 

examples to students

• Expand the implementation of turbines at 

schools

• Spotlight programs, opportunities, and 

successes

• Implement state and national wind 

competitions

• Provide group-specific support directed at 

young women and minorities

• Develop secondary-school vocational training 

programs. Dedication of a 900-kW Americas Wind Energy wind 

turbine installed in Wray, Colorado by the Wray School 

District RD-2. Photo by Ian Baring-Gould, 

NREL/PIX15461

Colorado Wind Applications Center director Mike Kostrzewa

attends the first official project turbine at a Colorado school 

(Walsh in southeast Colorado). Photo by Becki Meadows, 

NREL/PIX16957
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Community College, Vocational, and Direct 

Organizational Training

Challenges:

• Limited opportunities

• Many organizations trying to 

capitalize on the need – not 

many with the experience to 

actually provide it

• Wide degree of need (short 

courses to 2-year programs) 

• Limited funding to start 

expensive programs

• Poor common understanding of 

the skills needed for different 

professions.

Progress:

• Industry need is driving development

• AWEA is developing the core skill 

requirements and a seal of approval for 

wind technician training programs

• DOL Green Job Training Grants

• State support for program development 

– in states that recognize the 

importance.

Iowa Lakes Community College offers a Wind Energy and Turbine 

Technology Program that prepares students for skilled entry-level jobs in the 

growing wind industry. Photo by Ian Baring-Gould, NREL/PIX17387
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Potential Paths Forward – Community Colleges

• Define additional training needs, identify critical skills, and develop course 

outlines and offerings for other specialty skills

• Formalize a process to identify interested technical and community 

colleges

• Support equipment and program start-up costs

• Support expanded training opportunities for teachers and staff

• Support cross-fertilization among organizations

• Provide better documentation of the programs' impacts and achievements 

Students enrolled in Iowa Lakes Community College's Wind Energy and 

Turbine Technology Program learn hands-on skills that prepare them for 

skilled jobs installing, maintaining, and servicing modern wind turbines. 

Photo by Ian Baring-Gould, NREL/PIX17386

• Consider better coordination with 4-

year schools, K-12 outreach, and 

community college preparatory 

organizations

• Develop secondary and non-traditional 

vocational training programs

• Support active industry job 

development via industry green 

workforce integration/internships/job 

placement programs/jobs.
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College and University Programs

Challenges:

• Limited opportunities with a 

small number of universities

• Most programs are informal 

and based around 1 or 2 

faculty

• Graduates have knowledge 

gained primarily through 

research projects

• In almost all cases, existing 

programs are in engineering 

• Funding largely provided 

through task or researchspecific projects; limited 

funding for program 

support/development.

Progress:

• Several strong university programs

• DOE WWPP curricula development support

• DOE scholarship programs

• DOE WWPP Wind for Schools project

• Initial meeting of the American Academy of 

Wind Energy

• Burgeoning industry support for the sector

• AWEA University Summit: Iowa, June 28-29

• Strong European programs.

James Madison University students installing a 

meteorological tower in Quinby, Virginia. Photo from 

Jonathan J. Miles, NREL/PIX16246
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

University-Sector Critical Needs 

• Better define needed general skills, specific 

knowledge, and pathways for people to 

enter the industry at all levels

• Support the development of educational 

programs, especially in states without 

established wind interest/support, including 

some method to provide baseline program 

funding

• Support challenges and competitions to 

build interest in wind energy

• Develop a university consortia; less 

redundancy and better communication

• Develop better collaboration among 

universities and industry, including with 

Europe

• Support an expanded national information 

clearinghouse for university-level programs.

Wind turbine installed at Hope Street Academy in Topeka, 

Kansas. Photo from Ruth Douglas Miller, NREL/PIX17336

Group of Research Participant Program summer 

students at the National Wind Technology Center. 

Photo by David Parsons, NREL/PIX 05565
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The Wind Workforce Roadmap

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/pdfs/wpa/2010/workforce_roadmap.pdf

Roadmap contents:

• Identifies current workforce 

activities in three sectors

• Reviews workforce needs

• Identifies challenges

• Recommends potential solutions

• Provides an overview of current 

programs.

Next steps:

• Incorporate comments from request 

for information

• Release new draft document in 

summer 2011

• Build industry, government, and 

stakeholder acceptance of the 

recommendations

• Move strategically to implement 

elements of the roadmap.

E. Ian Baring-Gould

National Wind Technology Center

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Blvd. MS3811

Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 USA

303-384-7021

ian.baring-gould@nrel.gov
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Carpe Ventem

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/schools.asp

Groundbreaking for wind turbine at Sanborn Central School in Forestburg, South Dakota. Photo from East River Electric Power 

Cooperative, NREL/PIX16030