Education and Beyond: GE Wind Technology Lab Trains Workers of the Future0
GE Works
Experts project that wind energy will create as many as 100,000 jobs over the next ten years—an exciting prospect for a new generation of workers in search of meaningful careers in the cleantech arena. But like any burgeoning industry, filling these jobs will require gaining access to highly trained workers, which isn’t always as easy to find as it might sound.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are currently around three million available jobs in America, but employers are having a difficult time finding candidates who posses the necessary technical abilities and required experience.
GE is working to solve this challenge at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC)’s GE Wind Technology Lab.
Providing useful hands-on experience
With over $400,000 already contributed in wind technologies and technical assistance, GE is on a mission to advance the college’s Wind Energy programs and help local high school students get prepared for the jobs of the future.
Donating state-of-the-art 1.5 megawatt turbines and the time of specialists, GE is helping students gain valuable experience in wind energy technology and offering an early start on a rewarding career path in cleantech. But it isn’t just experience and knowledge that students gain; participants in the program earn up to 25 college credits upon completion.
In their time at HVCC, students are provided with a powerful edge in a competitive workforce.
“The roadmap starts here,” says Joseph Dragone, Superintendent of Ballston Spa schools. “It’s about getting those early experiences.”
In their time at HVCC, students develop a working knowledge of the principles of wind energy and the mechanics of turbines—a skill that will provide many with a powerful edge in a competitive workforce.
“The fact that they’ve got the basics of wind technology makes them [job candidates] very, very attractive for the explosive growth that we’re seeing,” says Dragone.
The value of education
Education is a central pillar of GE: almost $1 billion is invested every year on training and education programs for employees. Efforts like the donation to HVCC show that this commitment extends beyond the workplace into local communities and the employees of the future. But GE’s commitment to education doesn’t stop there.
High-value service industries, high-tech manufacturing, and new clean technology industries require key skills—particularly in math, engineering, and science. To help give students a boost in these crucial areas, GE’s “Developing Futures in Education” program invests in education systems and curriculum development to help raise student achievement in math and science. Through this program, the GE Foundation has committed nearly $200 million to school districts across the country.
“NYSERDA applauds GE’s donation of state-of-the-art wind turbine technologies to Hudson Valley Community College,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA).
“The partnership between GE and Hudson Valley demonstrates how the private sector and academia are working together to ensure a skilled workforce is available to expand New York’s clean-energy economy.”