New College Institute Builds Innovation Center for Wind Turbine Technicians

New College Institute, located in Martinsville, Virginia, is focused on getting to the future faster, which is great for those looking for careers in growth areas.

Achieving GWO certification in both safety and technical training for wind turbine technicians, New College Institute's work is a part of its creation of an innovation center, according to Brian Pace, who also is Coordinator of Advanced Manufacturing for the college.

The wind industry is expected to add as many as 900 jobs through the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, with the first turbines installed in U.S. federal waters in June 2020. What’s more, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics rates a wind turbine technician career as one of the hottest growth areas through 2029.

Here’s what The innovation center does in the wind turbine sector:

• New College Institute is the first to invest in and earn certification from GWO in Virginia.
• At time of writing, the Institute is also one of only three across North America to offer both GWO Basic Safety Training and Basic Technical Training.
• From its location in the Mid Atlantic states, New College Institute serves both onshore and offshore wind as the growth of renewable energy escalates.  

The fast track to build a combination of innovation and technology, according to Brian, is to find an experienced partner.

That’s where Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy enters the picture with its portfolio of onshore and offshore wind turbines and its own GWO certified training center in Orlando, Florida, for its employees.  

New College Institute was looking for a partner to help achieve GWO certification and reached agreement with Siemens Gamesa to help with facilities, equipment, systems and trainers. It has been widely reported that Siemens Gamesa is considering strategic investments on the East Coast, including Virginia, in which to further develop the U.S. offshore wind industry.  

According to Christopher Spring, Safety Training Manager at SGRE, they were able to bring their experience to support New College Institute in earning certification and finding ways to be efficient with time, equipment selection and investment. He adds that this type of initiative is a focus of SGRE across North America.  

The key in meeting the growth of careers in the wind industry comes down to one word: Collaboration.