An education in the wind

Students, who have benefited from new vocational legislation, tour Medicine Bow/Hanna area wind turbines while updating their own teaching system

Graduation is nearing and many students in Carbon County are weighing their options. It is never easy for graduating seniors to be sure they are going down the right road concerning their future.

Jobs and education are changing in Wyoming. This year's legislature, attuned to how important vocational education is, passed Senate File 111 on March 15, enabling Wyoming's seven community college districts to offer programs like an applied bachelor's of science degree in nursing or electrical engineering, though specific programs would still need case-by-case approval.

The biggest misconception about SF111 is that students would be able to receive bachelors degrees at two years colleges, which is not entirely correct. Under the bill, students complete their two year associate's degree and continue their vocational program for another two years to receive a bachelors of applied science.

A bachelor of applied science is specifically for vocational programs.

A student who receives a scholarship can be enrolled in a community college applied baccalaureate program and has received a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 after four full-time semesters and may extend the provisional opportunity scholarship for an additional four full-time semesters to complete the baccalaureate degree if the student maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 and otherwise remains eligible for a scholarship.

This is good news for students studying technical fields with vocational attributes.

Wind energy is one such field of study that requires both technical and vocational skills.

There are half a dozen plus wind projects coming to Carbon County in the near future.

Cheyenne's Laramie County Community College (LCCC) has a wind technology program led by instructor Steve Hrkach. The college's partnership with industry is critical to educate students about power generation, renewables and the training needed to secure a career in energy.

On April 4, LCCC students in the wind program visited PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power's McFadden Wind Park (High Plains Substation) located between Medicine Bow and Hanna.

LCCC requires all career and technical programs to meet with industry workforce twice a year. This allows industry representatives to communicate their needs to the college. Their feedback either shows the program is on track and meeting industry requirements or drives necessary changes to realign learning outcomes to industry needs.

The purpose of the site visit is to observe the day-to-day operations of maintenance personnel and gain insights into the processes that industry has developed to ensure an efficient, timely and safe work environment for wind technicians. Students speak directly to regional and site managers to find out what they want and need in an entry level technician and they understand how field operations and maintenance have evolved to allow the program to incorporate those changes into instruction. These visits also allow instructors to update instructional materials to ensure they mirror the field.

On April 4, as the students from LCCC examined a turbine, both Casper and Cheyenne TV stations were there reporting alongside journalists from the state's largest newspapers.

Now that LCCC and other community colleges offer four year programs in industries like wind, high school graduating seniors have more options at their disposal as they face their future.

 

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