Citing the need to recruit and train a larger, educated workforce to support the global expansion of renewable energy, GE and Excelsior College have announced that GE employees can receive up to nearly 50 college credits for completing the company's intensive renewable energy services training program.
To earn GE's Lead Certification Standard, technicians must complete more than 500 hours of classroom, online and practical, hands-on field training on wind turbine components at GE's Energy Learning Center (ELC) in Schenectady, N.Y., where GE's renewable energy business is headquartered.
At the ELC, technicians are trained – with a strong focus on safety – to inspect and repair actual GE wind turbine components, including the nacelle, which is installed atop a 200-foot steel tower and houses the wind turbine's generating equipment.
Technicians who complete the certification program are eligible to earn up to 49 credit hours for their work experience through Excelsior College, which has created a new concentration in renewable energy technologies within the school's Bachelor of Professional Studies in Technology Management program.
The general public is now eligible to register for this concentration. GE's technicians also may apply their college credits to the new degree concentration.
