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Job Growth in Renewable Energy Prompts Training Options

Shirley Fenlason

In the midst of bleak employment reports, there is some encouraging news about renewable energy. The Pew Charitable Trusts reported that from 1997 to 2007, the clean energy job national growth rate was 9.1 percent, compared to a total job growth rate of 3.7 percent.

According to Pew, "the clean energy economy is poised for explosive growth." This is one of the reasons why renewable energy growth is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Clean energy refers to energy from sources that are environmentally friendly, like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal.

So what are clean energy occupations? They include electricians, solar and wind system installers, electrical and mechanical engineers, lab technicians, wind turbine service technicians, energy auditors, power plant operations technicians, computer systems analysts, and many more. Per the Pew report, energy-related occupations can be found in any business sector from energy generation, transmission, storage, efficiency to transportation and manufacturing.

This job growth has spurred the increase of training programs offered in Minnesota colleges and universities related to clean energy. These run the gamut from short-term training programs to 4-year degrees, and offer certificates or degrees. Using the Program Search Tool on ISEEK, a career explorer can find all of the programs offered by Minnesota's public and private postsecondary institutions.

Below is a sampling of available programs:

For career explorers interested in one of the growing clean energy careers, it looks like schools are developing several more training options each term. To find out more, check each college's website or course catalogue, or search all of Minnesota's public and private college programs on ISEEK.