The United States needs a skilled and qualified wind energy workforce to produce domestic power. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that wind turbine service technicians will be the fastest growing job in a decade with 108% growth rate. Vital industry positions include researchers, scientists, engineers, as well as trade workers, educators, transportation workers, business and sales forces, and many others.
Workforce Growth and Support
Researchers are working with academics, industry employers, standards offices, and job seekers to support workforce growth to close the “wind energy workforce gap” as well as establish safety and training guidance and best practices in offshore wind energy, land-based wind energy, and wind energy technology supply chains and manufacturing.
Due to the growing demand for jobs in the wind energy sector, there are many workforce training and education resources available for those interested in beginning or advancing their careers.
Prepare for a Career in Wind Energy
The REpowering Schools program works with educators, the renewable energy industry, and national and state government projects to support opportunities that engage and train a diverse, sustained renewable energy workforce.
The Wind for Schools project operates in 12 states and, through REpowering Schools, is expanding the program to additional states. The project introduces communities across the country to wind energy, gives K–12 students opportunities to conduct wind energy research in the classroom, and prepares college students to serve as project consultants for small wind turbine installations at rural elementary and secondary schools.
The KidWind program offers standards-based educational tools to help students explore the science and technology of wind, solar, and other forms of renewable energy and their impact on the environment.
WINDExchange’s Wind Energy Education and Training Programs map shows wind energy programs at community colleges, universities, and other institutions in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office Wind Career Map illustrates potential pathways for job growth in the wind energy industry. Use the map to explore degreed careers, which require a bachelor’s degree or higher, and vocational careers, which are available to someone applying trade school experience in a professional setting.
The U.S. Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition helps undergraduate students prepare for jobs in the wind energy workforce through real-world technology, finance, project development, communications, and outreach experience. Many competition alumni cite their competition experience as a key factor in landing a job in the wind and renewable energy industries.
The U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office Careers page offers jobs in wind energy within the federal government.
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory published The Wind Energy Workforce in the United States: Training, Hiring, and Future Needs report to provide a national assessment of the wind industry workforce and hiring needs and to uncover educational pathways that would help close any gaps. In the report, researchers identified a notable disparity: students are graduating with degrees specific to the wind industry, but they’re having difficulty getting hired. At the same time, the wind industry is reporting difficulty in finding qualified applicants. This gap between students and industry highlights the need for increased awareness about wind energy occupations and future analysis on training opportunities that are needed to fill the rising demand for new workers to support the industry.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Wind Turbine Technicians offers quick facts about a career as a wind turbine technician, including median pay, required education, and projected numbers of jobs.
Education and Training Programs
On the map below or in a full-size window, you can:
- Use the button at the bottom to show the legend, where you can customize different elements of layers being displayed: the “Legend” column shows what’s visible whereas the “Interactive column allows you to change the filters to show only community colleges, for example.
- Click “Map Layers” on the bottom of the map to view and toggle on and off different layers (such as specific program topics [like offshore wind energy], wind resources, and the U.S. wind turbine database).
- Click icons under each “Map Layers”, such as the Table icon to view a table of all the programs/data within that layer, the “I” icon to learn about that layer, and the slider icon to compare two layers at the same time.
- Click on individual dots on the map to view program information in a pop-up box; click on the box-shaped icon on the top bar to move this to the side of your screen and the “X” to close it.
Download the full spreadsheet of data used to generate the map from this public Box file.
To add your wind energy program or training class to this map, please email WINDExchange and include the web address of your program.
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