06/20/08 Energy Education for the Future

Energy Education for the Future. I'm Greg Martin as Line On Agriculture presents the Harvest Clean Energy Report. We have talked in the past about the energy education issue. In the 60's & 70's it was the computer generation learning the possibilities of what could be done. Now it is about how we can make energy work for us in the cleanest, most economical means possible. And a whole new generation is going to have the opportunity of jumping into the renewable energy pool thanks to programs like the WIRED Grant program. Bob Guenther is the President of the Thurston/Lewis/Mason Central Labor Council & VP Executive Leadership Team for the WIRED Grant in the Pacific Mountain Workforce Region. GUENTHER: We were successful in acquiring the Workforce Innovation for Regional Economic Development training grant, the WIRED grant in our region to the tune of $5 million dollars. And this $5 million dollar wired grant will help us establish a regional training center for construction, manufacturing, energy and innovation at the old Satsop nuclear power plant. The facility was never fueled so there is no radiation issue to contend with. Guenther says it's a perfect place to conduct a multitude of programs. GUENTHER: One of the programs that I am working on is the Center of Excellence for Energy at Centralia College and we've been active with this energy program for several years now and the results of this program is the fact that we have been able to get nearly 100% of our graduates hired by industry. Most of those positions have been decent paying jobs in the energy industry including the Grand Coulee Dam and the BPA. GUENTHER: Many, many wind generation sites are going up in Eastern Washington and we also have the opportunity in the near future to look at wind energy on the west side of the mountains because the wind blows over here, too. So we've got to train a workforce and I believe this WIRED grant has given us the opportunity to put forth a curriculum in the energy field, the construction field, manufacturing field and the innovation field that will develop the workforce of the future. Guenther says that there are really a great many opportunities already with more coming. GUENTHER: You know this energy program is just really exciting because there's so many new technologies coming about. But what's interesting about it is that if you look at all the state approved apprenticeship programs that we have a Labor and Industries, a lot of those apprenticeship programs are adaptable to the new and emerging technologies that are going to be necessary for green power. For additional information on clean energy, visit harvestcleanenergy.org. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network. www.harvestcleanenergy.org