BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Kern Community College District (KCCD) has just been awarded a grant of $2.7 million to provide alternative energy technician training in Kern County, John Means, KCCD Associate Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development, announced Tuesday.

Following on the heels of a $766,000 energy training grant last October, today’s award brings the district’s AARA funded alternative energy programs to over $3.5 million. The latest grant funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Grant for Health Care Sector and Other High Growth and Emerging Industries.

The new grant will position KCCD as one of the top college organizations in the country training workers for wind and solar alternative energy jobs, according to Means. The Kern Community College District covers over 24,000 square miles and provides instruction to more than 26,000 students in parts of Kern, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino counties through programs at Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College and Porterville College.

KCCD is the lead partner of the Southern Sierra Clean Energy Collaborative, a group of 17 education, industry, and government organizations that developed a comprehensive training program to prepare workers for employment in the utility-scale renewable energy industry in Kern, Tulare, Inyo and Mono counties.

Means said the grant funds will fund programs providing for students foundational training as utility workers to support the expansion of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in the Kern region. Students will then have an option to select from three additional training paths: Utility-scale Wind Turbine Technician, Utility-Scale Concentrating Solar Power Technician, and Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics Technician training.

The training project will build on KCCD’s existing training programs, develop new curriculum, and provide students with support services and on-the-job field training.\

Training will take place at the Weill Center in downtown Bakersfield. Hundreds of area residents seeking high-paying, high-level technician jobs for utility companies or in the growing wind and solar energy industries will find the training program ready to meet their needs.

Means said the training provides students from 200 to 400 hours of instruction. The first 200 hours of training qualifies students for energy utility technician jobs. Students may choose to participate in an additional 200 hours of training focusing on their choice of solar or wind energy. The longer training certifies students for technician jobs in either solar or wind industries. Means estimates that entry-level salaries for these positions will fall between $18-24 per hour.

“Students in this new program learn about the repair and maintenance of energy systems, equipment and facilities,” Means said.

On-the-job safety is a critical component of the KCCD training program, he noted. This is especially important in the wind energy training program, which requires student technicians to undergo hands-on repair experience atop wind turbines at a towering height of up to 300 feet. “One of the first things we’ll have wind energy students doing is climbing poles,” Means explained. “Students will know right away whether or not they can deal with the 300- to 400-foot heights, including the turbine blade repair required to do this job.”

Timing for KCCD’s new training program is perfect, according to Means. He pointed out that the California Energy Commission recently approved installation of new energy transmission lines from Tehachapi to Los Angeles. Those lines will quadruple the number of wind and solar generators available to produce energy and exponentially grow the number of technicians needed to repair and maintain the new energy generation facilities, Means said.

The new KCCD training program is critical to support the growth of the wind and solar companies in our region, according to Means.

“The Kern region will generate over half the electricity needed to reach California’s goal of 33% renewable electricity by the year 2020,” he said.

The training program continues Kern Community College District’s partnership with industry to develop the training that provides workers with the skills and competencies that local industries require, Means said. Southern Sierra Clean Energy Collaborative partners on this grant include Kern Economic Development Corporation, Kern County Employer’s Training Resource, Tulare County Workforce Investment Board, the Kern High School District, Taft College, UC Davis, the County of Kern, the Housing Authority of the County of Kern, The Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 105, Albiasa Corporation, Nextera Energy Resources, Terra-Gen Power, Southern California Edison, California Wind Energy Association, California Wind Energy Collaborative, and the Independent Energy Producers Association.

“Kern County has always been an oil industry production leader,” Means said. "Now we will also be a leader in renewable energy, and Kern Community College District will provide the workforce training behind that leadership.”