KALAMAZOO – Fifteen students are heading for Michigan’s Thumb this week to gain a “thumbs-up” acceptance into Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation training academy for technicians who will work on utility-sized turbines clustered on wind farms around the world.

It’s part of a win-win agreement between the KVCC Wind Energy Center and the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port K-12 school district in Huron County that already has a trio of turbines producing electricity for the system.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 6-7), the 15 will seek to pass the final screenings �?? an ability to work at great heights and in close quarters �?? by climbing one of the district’s 75-foot, 65-kilowatt turbines that is connected to the state�??s energy grid.

Those who succeed will be accepted into the 26-week training academy that is based on skill standards established in Germany to produce technicians for entry-level employment working on the giants of the wind-energy industry.

A final climbing and close-quarters test to complete the pioneer class of 16 is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22 on the units located next to the district’s elementary school in Pigeon.

The 15 range in age from the late teens to 35 and older. They hail from Kalamazoo, Clarkston, Hartford, Grand Ledge, Marquette, Fenton, Beverly Hills and West Branch in Michigan, from Fort Wayne and Crown Point in Indiana, from Castalia, Ohio, and from Roscoe and Sycamore in Illinois.

Three are currently unemployed. The rest are seeking enrollment in the noncredit academy to chart new career paths in an industry that is promising employment opportunities. One is an aeronautical engineer, one is in retail, one is a sales manager, three are mechanics, one is an automotive-glass technician, one is a carpenter, one is in public relations, and the rest are in various fields of electric technology.

The inaugural academy begins at the college’s Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on the Groves Campus on Oct. 26 and concludes May 9. The fee is $12,000.

A second academy is booked to start May 17 and applications are still being accepted. Those applicants not accepted into the first session will be carried over to a waiting list for the second.

With a pair of privately owned, large wind farms already operating in Huron County, the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port district received a U. S. Department of Energy grant to purchase three 65-kilowatt turbines that had been refurbished after being phased out of a California-based operation.

“But maintenance had always been a challenge,” said Cindy Buckley, director of training and development at the M-TEC, “and the task fell to volunteers in the area because there was inadequate funding to provide trained technicians. Our two instructors (Tom Sutton and Greg Meeuwsen) learned about this while attending a program at Kettering University.”

That has led to a partnership for maintenance and educational services between the college and the school district, with the first payoff being the heights and close-quarters test, each of which will be conducted within 45 minutes.

In return, Sutton and Meeuwsen, who spent six weeks in Germany in training for their upcoming instructional assignments, are assessing the district�??s three turbines and their functioning parts, and will submit a written analysis. The analysis will include identifying what is needed for the turbines to operate effectively.

“This assessment will be incorporated into our academy as well and offer a training opportunity down the road,” Buckley said. “Eventually, the 16 will return to The Thumb and start installing the updates on the three turbines that Tom and Greg have identified.”

Buckley said the situation at the two large Huron County wind farms, which will number turbines in the hundreds when fully developed, speaks to future employment opportunities. “When maintenance is needed on these big units, work crews have to be shipped in from as far away as Texas. There are few technicians based in Michigan for this kind of work.”

The first step to gain access into the next academy is to complete the written application, which can be downloaded at this web site at KVCC.Edu/Training Applications can be mailed or faxed to the M-TEC, or dropped off.

An algebra test is also part of the screening process, along with the results of a medical examination and documented work experience in technical fields.

The KVCC Wind Turbine Technician Academy is certified by Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerebare Energien (BZEE). Its English equivalent is “Renewable Energy Education Center.

Located in Husum, Germany, and founded in 2000, BZEE was created and supported by major wind-turbine manufacturers, component makers, and enterprises that provide operation and maintenance services.

As wind-energy production increased throughout Europe, the need for high-quality, industry-driven standards emerged. BZEE has become the leading trainer for wind-turbine technicians across Europe.

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