Lethbridge College hosts second annual wind summit

By Cal Braid - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on March 15, 2023.

Herald photo by Cal Braid Lethbridge College hosted their second annual Wind Summit at the wind turbine technician lab last week.

Lethbridge College opened the doors of its wind turbine technician lab last week for their second annual Wind Summit. The event was a trade show, hiring fair, and open house for students, industry partners, and the public.

Kelly Norgard, an instructor and wind turbine technician spoke on behalf of the college, saying, “we invite industry partners, both operations and maintenance. We have utility companies and construction and service companies-all in the renewable and wind industry. They’re here to hire our graduates (who) are finishing the program soon, as well as promote the industry. It’s an open house so people can come down and see our incredible facility that we have-the best in Canada, for sure. We’re very proud of our turbine program.”

The event gave the soon-to-be graduates a huge advantage by connecting them directly with prospective employers.

“The students are excited,” Norgard said. “They’ve already been talking to the companies as far as hiring. The industry is booming right now. There are not enough people available for all the work that’s out there, so we have a really high employment rate. I would pretty much guarantee every student will have a job by the end of the day.”

The Wind Turbine Technician program is less than a year long and does intakes in both September and January, with the spring session overlapping. Norgard said 14 students will be in this year’s graduating class and that the program can accommodate about fifty students per year. The skills that the college teaches as requirements for success in the industry are diverse.

“Being a technician in a wind turbine is a little bit of everything,” Norgard said. “Obviously, a lot of electrical-we’re producing power- and there’s a lot of mechanical and hydraulic skills involved. We say it’s kind of a blend of four or five different registered trades, and of course then there’s the safety aspect. (It’s) a huge aspect of the course as well.” He said that safety can make up for just about everything a technician would encounter, but “you do have to have a bit of confidence at height. Trust your equipment, trust your gear, trust your training, and everything will be fine.”

Norgard affirmed that post-graduate employment is close to one-hundred per cent and it’s predicted that construction in the wind power industry will continue unabated across the province over the next five years. There were 15 companies with tables at the event, all eager to claim a graduating student.

From 9 a.m. to noon, the summit was geared towards industry and included an apprenticeship and industry training presentation on wind turbines as a trade. Focus groups followed.

Attendees at the open house interested in pursuing a career in the wind industry were given fifty dollars off the application fee for the technician program. The college press release for the event touted the program, saying, “Students enrolled in the nationally recognized Wind Turbine Program earn an internationally recognized certification from the Global Wind Organization (GWO) and get hands-on experience by scaling the training tower on campus and working on the 309,000-pound nacelle housed in (the building). Career pathways include, but aren’t limited to, wind turbine construction, maintenance and manufacturing, as well as apprentice electrician and blade repair technician.”