9 green certification programs
These community colleges, bolstered by federal funding and industry demand, are partnering with companies to train the green workforce.
Lake Region State College
Based in: Devils Lake, N.D.
When Lake Region State decided to launch a wind energy technician training program this year, the Midwestern community college turned to local wind energy producer NextEra Energy Resources, a division of utility Florida Power & Light, for help.
NextEra is letting Lake Region's students practice on its wind turbines, and it even tapped one of its own employees, Jay Johnson, to helm the course.
Johnson, who started teaching this fall, says demand for the program has surpassed his expectations. "[Students] were pushing to get in," he says. "They're savvy enough to know where the jobs are."
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