Utahns to Get Training for Wind, Solar, Alt Fuels Jobs

John Davis

About 2,000 Utahns who need good jobs will get some training in fields looking to hire: alternative fuels, renewable energy, wind, solar and geothermal power.

The Deseret News reports that a $4.6 million stimulus bucks grant will pay for training for displaced workers, disadvantaged youths and veterans:

“We’re still working out some of the details,” department spokesman Curt Stewart said Wednesday. “But we have formed a coalition” to settle details on what will be free tuition for workers training for specific types of jobs related primarily to emerging energy industries.

“We’ve identified several partners who provide training academies already,” said Stewart.

Plans are still tentative, but Salt Lake Community College is expected to educate 1,070 people in the fields of green construction, alternative fuels, energy management and renewable energy transmission.

Between the College of Eastern Utah and the Uintah Basin Applied Technology Center, 230 slots are being created in alternative fuels, green construction and energy management.

The Southwest Technology Center will have 100 slots focused on working with wind, solar and geothermal power, Stewart said.

This State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grant is part of the $440 million in stimulus grants nationwide.

Geothermal, Solar, Wind