Like the innovative industry we serve, we also embrace change here at Wind Systems.
You may have noticed that our print and digital magazine have undergone a makeover recently. We’ve enhanced the visual aesthetics of the magazine with a lot of small adjustments that have had a big impact on the magazine’s overall look, including mini tables of content within each of our five recurring sections — Direction, Construction, Innovation, Maintenance, and Manufacturing — to give you an idea of what you can expect to read in the remaining pages of that department. We are also in the process of updating our website, www.windsystemsmag.com, to be more captivating and reader-friendly. You can expect that project to be finished by the time most of us are at the AWEA Windpower show in New Orleans from May 23 to May 26. If you’ll be attending this year’s leading industry event, stop by Booth #3013 and let us know what you’d like to see more of in the magazine. Also, feel free to call or email me if you’d like to schedule a meeting to discuss editorial opportunities.
This month’s issue focuses on education and workforce development in the wind energy industry. Like most industries in this economic climate, the United States wind market is facing a shortage of skilled and qualified workers needed to install new wind farms and maintain existing ones. An educated, well-trained workforce is necessary to keep the lights on and drive this industry forward. In the inFOCUS section, we’ve cultivated the perspectives of several industry leaders to present their opinions on the subject and ways this issue can be addressed. Shawn Lamb from the Danish Wind Power Academy Americas discusses ways America’s workforce can be retooled and repurposed to meet the needs of the wind industry. Gordon Moran from the European Energy Centre (EEC) returns this month to propose how the U.S. can benefit from the United Kingdom’s example in advancing educational and training opportunities. We also feature a column by Walter Christmas, a wind energy instructor at Ecotech Institute in Aurora, Colorado, on how wind school graduates have an edge when it comes to job opportunities, as well as an article by Kristen Graf, the executive director of Women of Wind Energy, on the importance of women in this industry.
Additionally, you’ll find a company profile on Kalamazoo Valley Community College, a leading educational institution in the wind industry, as well as a Q&A with Jared Bezet, the Quality Enhancement Plan director and interim director of Institutional Effectiveness at Everglades University in Boca Raton, Florida. We have also included a list of U.S. educational institutions that offer programs in wind energy. If you would like a school added to this list, email the school’s name and information to editor@windsystemsmag.com.
As always, thanks for reading!
