Wind for Schools Portal/Careers in the Wind Industry
Career Opportunities in the Wind Industry
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is aggregating information on internship and apprenticeship programs in the wind industry to enhance visibility and accessibility for students and other jobseekers. This initiative aims to facilitate a more inclusive and informed approach towards wind industry workforce pathways, through highlighting potential opportunities to gain experience in the industry. The table below provides relevant information on a sample of opportunities across the United States.
In addition to this effort, NREL is planning an annual national wind workforce conference in fall 2024 to bring together educational institutions, wind industry companies, and students and other jobseekers. This conference aims to foster relationships between stakeholders, excite students and recent graduates about opportunities in the wind industry, and provide information on wind workforce analysis.
If your organization offers wind-related training programs, reach out to Bailey Pons at bpons@nrel.gov or Heidi Tinnesand at heidi.tinnesand@nrel.gov.
Sample of Internship and Apprenticeship Programs
| Organization name | Organization type | Program type | Organization location | Link to program landing page or how to apply | Contact information (Name and email) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Lakes Community College | Community College | Apprenticeship | Estherville, Iowa | https://iowalakes.edu/program/wind-energy-turbine-technology-aas/ | Michael Gengler, mMgengler@iowalakes.edu |
| North America's Building Trades Unions | Training Provider | Apprenticeship | Every state. | https://nabtu.org/ | Tom Kriger, tkriger@nabtu.org |
| General Electric Vernova (Wind Engineering) | Training Provider | Internship | Greenville, SC and Schenectady, NY | https://jobs.gecareers.com/renewableenergy/global/en/renewable-energy-eedp https://jobs.gecareers.com/global/en/internships-co-ops |
David Magnuson, david.magnuson@ge.com |
| Seafarers International Union | Labor union | Apprenticeship | Camp Springs, MD | https://mymaritimecareer.org | Ray Henderson, rhenderson@seafarers.org |
| Maryland Department of Labor | Government | Apprenticeship | Baltimore, MD and Prince Georges County, MD | Raising the Bar: https://www.bdcbt.org/apprenticeship-readiness-mc3 Baltimore Electrical: https://jatc24.org/applicants/ |
Chanel Viator, chanel.viator@maryland.gov |
| Building Futures | Nonprofit organization | Apprenticeship | Providence, RI | https://www.bfri.org/ | Andrew L. Cortes, acortes@bfri.org |
| Scout Clean Energy | Developer | Internship | Boulder, CO | https://apply.workable.com/scout-clean-energy/?lng=en | Shannon McAlpine, scoutcleanenergy.com |
| Natural Power Consultants | Training Provider | Internship | Seattle, WA and Golden, CO | Email interest to npusinternship@naturalpower.com | Meagan Santos, meagans@naturalpower.com |
| Kingsborough Community College | Community College | Pre-Apprenticeship; Apprenticeship | Brooklyn, NY and Piney Point, MD | https://sites.google.com/view/bridgestooffshorewind/kingsborough-community-college | Robert Zandi, robert.zandi@kbcc.cuny.edu |
| International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | Labor union | Apprenticeship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://electricaltrainingalliance.org/locateaTrainingCenter/Inside | Ed Hill Jr, ehill_jr@ibew.org |
| Nunez Community College | Community College | Apprenticeship | Chalmette, LA | https://www.nunez.edu/admissions/step-1-appy-to-nunez | Jacqueline Richard, jrichard@nunez.edu |
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | Research | Internship | Golden, CO | https://nrel.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/NREL/job/Boulder-CO/Student-Training-in-Applied-Research--STAR--Program-Undergraduate-Internship---Wind-Energy-Workforce-Diversity_R11742?q=Wind&workerSubType=41059f5be019104091d88850a3f54318 | Jahi Simabi, jahi.simbai@nrel.gov |
| Invenergy | Developer | Internship | Chicago, IL | https://invenergyllc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/invenergycareers | |
| UWUA | Union | Apprenticeship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://uwua.net/programs/ | |
| Skyclimber | Training provider | Apprenticeship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://skyclimber-re.com/top/ | |
| LiUNA | Union | Apprenticeship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://www.liunatraining.org/programs-and-services/commercial-construction/ | |
| Building Pathways South | Training Provider | Pre-Apprenticeship | Providence, RI | https://www.buildingpathwayssouth.com/ | |
| Wanzek Construction | Developer | Internship; Apprenticeship | Morrison, CO | https://wanzek.com/internships https://wanzek.com/apprenticeship-program |
|
| RES Energy | Developer | Internship | Denver, CO | https://www.res-group.com/us/current-opportunities/ | |
| Blattner Energy | Developer | Internship | Avon, MN | https://www.blattnerenergy.com/careers/internships | |
| DNV GL | Consultant | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://jobs.dnv.com/job-search?query=intern&country%5B0%5D=United%20States | |
| Mott Macdonald | Consultant | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://www.mottmac.com/careers/search | |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://mhicareers.com | |
| Acciona | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://people.acciona.com/professional-development/acciona-internship-program/ | |
| Nordex | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://jobs.nordex-online.com/?locale=en_US | |
| Nextera Energy | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://www.nexteraenergy.com/careers/join-our-team/internships.html | |
| Apex Clean Energy | Developer | Internship | Charlottesville, VA | https://www.apexcleanenergy.com/careers/#open-positions | |
| Rosendin Electric, Inc. | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://www.rosendin.com/careers/students-recent-grads/ | |
| Orsted | Developer | Internship | Various locations in the U.S. | https://us.orsted.com/careers/early-careers |
Other Career Information
American Wind Energy Association. Careers in Wind
This page connects wind energy companies to people seeking jobs in the wind energy industry.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Careers in Wind Energy
This resource defines the various jobs created by wind energy development in the United States and includes information on the manufacturing phase of wind energy development.
WINDExchange. Wind Energy Education and Training Programs
This interactive map shows the locations of wind energy educational programs and training at community colleges, universities, and other institutions. This site tracks job announcements and news related to wind industry jobs.
U.S. Department of Energy. (2011). Wind Power Career Chat
This document describes careers in the wind energy industry, including interviews with professionals. The interviews demonstrate the diversity of jobs and the paths that led the professionals to their current work.
U.S. Department of Energy. Clean Energy Jobs and Career Planning
This page provides links to information about clean energy-related jobs, internships, and training.
U.S. Department of Energy. Wind Career Map
This wind career map explores an expanding universe of wind energy occupations, describing diverse jobs across the industry, charting possible progression between them, and identifying the high-quality training necessary to do them well.