So you are looking for wind turbine technician jobs, huh? Or maybe you just want more information on what the job entails? Well in this article we are going to look at what you will be expected to do in typical day on the job. The job description is not straight forward, you are expected to be an electrician, mechanic and a ‘monkey’. There may be days when you are required to change oil and oil filters than on other days you just spend the day bolt testing to ensure that they are all still screwed on pretty tight.
You can expect the average height of wind turbine towers to be between 267 and 305 feet tall. Before you can climb the tower you have to turn the generator into service mode on the control panel. Most of the ladders are enclosed within the tower and are made from aluminum. When you climb up the ladder you have to have the safety harness secured on to you. As a technician you have to understand a lot of mechanics, you are also required to understand electricity in its most basic form.
As far as studying is concerned, it is recommended that you have a two year associates degree. That cover a lot of fields including controllers you can program, hydraulics, digital electronics, pneumatics and also take basic maintenance classes. You should also take courses in technical writing and communications. Your internship is a requirement and can be as much as 240 hours. This is done to allow each student to prove their abilities to the companies they want to eventually work for.
It is not surprising to even get a job offer from a company at the end of your internship, so you are more motivated to complete the program. The United States is planning to make wind energy provide 20% of the power in the country by the year 2025, this will create a lot of jobs. They believe that by the year 2015, only 50% of the required workforce will be fully trained and ready to take on this job.
You can expect to earn between $45,000 and $60,000 per year, this is the entry minimum wage with a two year associate degree. If you are open to traveling and doing retro fittings plus construction you can add another $45K to $60K/year to your salary. One of the benefits of this job is you can walk around proud of the job you do as you are helping your community and the environment too. This is accomplished by just doing your job every single day.
Some colleges that train Wind Turbine Technicians are Holland College, Northern Lights College, and Pinnacle Career Institute.
A Closer Look At A Wind Turbine Technician Course
Northern Lights College’s Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician program specializes in the theory around wind turbines and also provides the practical knowledge required for wind turbines. Safety is always put center stage. When you finish your studies you will be ready to enter the wind turbine field and well equipped to gradually rise through the ranks, even though you initially start at the low level wind turbine technician jobs stage.
You will also be able to sit and write BZEE Certification Examination. Although not included in your course fees, this certification will allow you to be able to work worldwide. To gain the permanent certification 160 hours are required to be completed on the job. Also when you complete the Electrical section of this program you will sit for the NLC Electrical Level 1 Apprenticeship exam. You require a text mark of at least 70 percent to get recognized by the Industry Training Authority of British Columbia.
What Are The Program Admission Requirements?
There is three different groups that can be admitted. There is the High School dual credit students that have completed Grade 11. There is the adults group which also must have completed Grade 11 and passed English, Math and Physics. Lastly there is the Adults/High School students without the required credits, who must take an assessment test.
Program Length: 40 Weeks (No Summer Classes)
Program Duration: Starts in February ends in January.
Application Deadline: 30 days before start. $500 deposit required too.
You can get more information and full course outline at their website here: NLC.ca
Where To Find Wind Turbine Technician Jobs Online?
There are a few websites online that list jobs in the Wind Energy industry. You can easily find them by doing a quick search on everyone’s favorite search engine Google. The good thing about doing this is that depending on your current location Google can actually customize the searches to provide Wind Turbine Technician Jobs in your country and sometimes even in your local area.
- Indeed.com – Searches the web and lists all available jobs they find in one easy place for you. You can customize your search using their ‘Sort By Relevance’ menu on the left hand side. You can select your preferred salary, the job title you want, the company you want to work for.You can also choose the location or area you would like to work, the type of job you are interested in as well as select and preferred employers or recruiters, if you have a preference. You can then browse through the results and even apply for some of the jobs online. If you want the employers to find you instead, they allow you to post your resume too.
- SimplyHired.com – For the most part has the same features as Indeed.com however, they do not have an option for you to post your resume, or apply for the jobs online on their website. They will redirect you to the website with all the information on that job opening for example, Vestas website.
In addition to these you probably can use all the other major job websites such as CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and Workopolis.com to find more Wind Turbine Technicians Jobs you can apply for on the internet.