We are excited to announce that in our continuing efforts to work with states around the country to offer career training that puts people to work, our program was recently approved in Alaska, West Virginia and New York.  As an approved state career training program under their Workforce Investment Act, individuals who are eligible to attend WIA funded programs can qualify for tuition assistance.  For more information contact the Workforce Development Council in your state or visit http://www.careeronestop.org/wiaprovidersearch.asp 

For additional information visit our website at www.air-streams.com to learn more about Airstreams Renewables, Inc. and how we can meet your renewable energy career training needs.

May 20, 2010: Airstreams Renewables, Inc — leaders in career safety and technical training and ENSA Access & Rescue, Inc. — a leader in wind energy specific height/rescue and confined space training — today announced that the two companies have entered into an agreement for Airstreams Renewables, Inc. to acquire the ENSA Access & Rescue platform, creating the most comprehensive and flexible total training solution available in the market today. "This merger represents a strategic move for both Airstreams and ENSA, to leverage each other’s core strengths and deliver increased value to the markets in which we serve," said Jeff Duff, Airstreams President and COO. “Our customers require flexible training solutions that address the full range of required training through competitive delivery options. This merger will enable the Airstreams/ENSA platform to meet the industry demands given the forecasted growth expected in wind, while maintaining the quality of our training programs and services that our customers have come to expect.”

The deal is expected to close by July 1^st positioning ENSA as a wholly owned subsidiary of Airstreams Renewables, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, ENSA will continue to service on-site training throughout North America while leveraging Airstreams existing total training solution centers located in Tehachapi, CA and Gary, SD.

"For training to be truly effective it must meet both the regulator’s and industry guidelines and the specific needs of each customer’s unique situation," commented Nicholas Jones, the CEO of ENSA. "Increasingly, this takes resources, bandwidth, and highly trained specialists able to service the entire training spectrum and significant wind specific knowledge and experience. Our customers can now choose comprehensive training solutions on-site, using our new mobile tower or take advantage of our existing total training centers."

About Airstreams
Airstreams Renewables, Inc. (ARI) offers safety and technical training solutions throughout the renewable energy sector that are focused on core skill sets designed to meet industry standard expectations for both entry level and advanced construction and service technicians. Courses are instructed by industry experts with over 200 years of combined experience in the wind and renewable energy industry. For additional information visit our website at www.air-streams.com

About ENSA
ENSA Access & Rescue provides industry recognized height rescue and confined space training, which conforms to BWEA guidelines and ANSI Z490.1 training criteria.  ENSA works with employees and managers in designing, developing, deploying and delivering world-class training that results in a safety culture that supports your corporate mission. For additional information visit our website at www.ensausa.com

In our continuing effort to become WIA Approved in all states, Airstreams Renewables, Inc. has now made Missouri the most recent state to add the Airstreams Wind Turbine Technician Safety and Technical Course to their state list of eligible training providers approved courses. As an approved state career training program under The Workforce Investment Act, students who are eligible to attend WIA funded programs can qualify for tuition assistance. For information about the state program for Missouri, please contact the Employment Training Section / Division of Career Education at http://www.dese.mo.gov/divcareered/

For additional information visit our website at www.air-streams.com to learn more about Airstreams Renewables, Inc. and how we can meet your renewable energy career training needs.

Airstreams Renewables, Inc. today received approval of our 20-Day Accelerated Wind Turbine Technician Safety and Technical Course by The Montana Department of Labor and Industry.  As an approved state career training program under their Workforce Investment Act, individuals who are eligible to attend WIA funded programs can qualify for tuition assistance.  For more information contact Sue Butler at the Workforce Services Division – Statewide Workforce Programs & Oversight Bureau  subutler@mt.gov.

In an ongoing effort to strengthen our training program and provide graduates with the knowledge and skills that the industry is seeking, Airstreams Renewables, Inc. is adding additional courses starting in February 2010. “With a variety of height rescue systems used throughout the wind industry, it is important for us to make sure we are offering our students training on the equipment being used throughout the industry“, says Mike Messier, VP Training. Airstreams Renewables, Inc staff of expert instructors have recently completed the ENSA Access Rescue training certification program allowing Airstreams to offer courses using the Tractel, Elk River, and Petzl ID systems. Airstreams continues to offer certifications in both Skylotec/EZE Man System and the Tech Safety Lines System.

In addition, Airstreams is launching new certificate courses in Rough Terrain Forklift, Basic Rigging, and Fasteners, Torque & Tension Tooling, Blade Repair/Basic Composites Course in early 2010. Each of these ARI certifications will include hands-on practice and practical evaluations.

“We are excited to offer these new certificates of completion that will help our graduates by giving them additional qualifications that are sought after within the wind industry”, says Lisa Gilbert, VP of Academic Affairs.

Airstreams Renewables, Inc. (ARI) is committed to offering the highest quality hands-on safety and technical career training programs available within the Renewable Energy Industry.  We empower our students with the knowledge and skills required for successful employment in a renewable energy career, helping to create a greener tomorrow. 

For additional information visit our website at www.air-streams.com to learn more about Airstreams Renewables, Inc. and how we can meet your renewable energy training needs.

In our continuing efforts to work with states around the country, our program was recently approved by both North and South Dakota.  As an approved state career training program under their Workforce Investment Act, individuals who are eligible to attend WIA funded programs can qualify for tuition assistance.  For more information contact the South Dakota Workforce Development Council dol.sd.gov/workforce_training/wia.aspx

For additional information visit our website at www.air-streams.com to learn more about Airstreams Renewables, Inc. and how we can meet your renewable energy career training needs.

Despite the current economic reality,  job-seekers should not shy away from taking a creative approach towards their job search. As you may know, the wind and renewable industry is a highly dynamic industry and while the folks at Airstreams Career Services work diligently to stay up to date on the latest news of new projects and who is hiring, it is always best to be the master of your own destiny. Online tools are a great resource and generally, people gravitate toward large career databases- like the one at your college or on generic websites such as Monster.com- and conduct one or two searches.

The disadvantage to this approach, however, is that it limits one’s ability to get constant updates about postings and information without having to re-visit the website again. In the meantime, jobs are being posted and taken down- and people are missing those changes.

To remedy this, Google is a potentially great tool. Alerts

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

• monitoring a developing news story

• keeping current on a competitor or industry

• getting the latest on a celebrity or event

• keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

  Here are the directions to set up your own personalized Google Alert for wind energy:

  1)  Go to http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

  2) Click on “Alerts”, the first product listed.

  3) There you will see a box the right titled “Create a Google Alert”.

  4) In the “Search Terms” box-type in the terms you would like to have the alert search for; some suggestions might be “wind turbine technician”, “wind energy”, “renewable energy projects”.  You can identify a particular area (“wind energy Indiana”) or a particular company (“Iberdrola”).  You can create any number of separate alerts.

  5) In the “Type” box-you can choose what media you want it to search-I recommend “Comprehensive”, which includes all.

  6) In the “How Often” box-choose how often you want the alerts sent to you-can be daily, weekly or “as it happens”.

  7) In the “e-Mail Length” box-you choose up to 20 or 50 results.

  Then type your e-mail in the indicated box, and you are set.

  This is a great way to stay current on what jobs are out there, what companies have projects and in what areas they are building. 

  

  At the very best, you will be the first person to see a job posting on a website and it will give you an advantage when you apply. At the very least, you’ll be able to track a company’s progress by getting constant information about it from various sources and news articles- and be able to intelligently talk about the company during interviews.

  Good luck!

Yesterday,  Clean Edge, Inc., a clean-tech research and publishing firm, released Clean Tech Job Trends 2009. The report provides an investigation of how clean-tech jobs in the U.S. and globally are changing the face of industry, where the hotbeds of growth exist, and whether current clean-tech salaries are living up to their ‘green-over blue-collar’ promise.

As Clint Wilder, contributing editor of the Clean Edge points out, “Clean-energy jobs are already growing faster than other sectors, but it is forecasted that we are just at the beginning of the clean-tech job creation era,” says Clean Edge contributing editor Clint Wilder. “This is the greatest opportunity for wealth, job creation, and global economic competitiveness in a generation — but we need vision, intelligence, and resources to guide our course in expanding this sector.”

Our team at Airstreams Renewables, Inc is doing its part to promote vision and impart its years of experience to help shape the industry that many of our staff helped create here in the US.  We are working to align our course offerings with the requirements many of the employers in the industry are looking for.  One thing we can ensure is that you will be exposed to the safety, mechanical and technical skills you will need to become a successful wind technician.

The Training that our company provides is designed to set you apart from the many job applications that will eventually start hitting the desks of wind turbine construction and service provider hiring managers, so you must be as prepared as you can be.  Our career service staff are here to work with you on some of the soft skills that could make the difference; Resume and Interview Skills.  Any investment in yourself is a worthwhile investment.

If you are looking to take your career to new heights, Airstreams Renewables, Inc can certainly help.

Jeff Duff

In response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,  OSHA is implementing an emphasis program to oversee construction projects that the ARRA economic stimulus money has funded. The emphasis program will be designed to monitor safety issues such as height safety, fall protection and electrocution hazards. Under this program, OSHA is expected to specifically conduct random inspections of stimulus funded projects. OSHA is expected to hire 30 new inspection officers by 2010 in keeping with President Obama’s budget request for funding to hire 130 new inspectors.

What this should mean to you is that it is time to ensure that your record keeping is current, that you have the necessary safety protocol and plans in place, that every employee working at heights or around electricity has the proper training, re-training and documentation.

Our Height and Electrical Safety courses provide in-depth OSHA Compliant training with the documentation you need to ensure you are compliant.  As part of our services, your training records are managed by our student services department so your records can be made available where ever you are.

Be Safe!

Yes, it is definitely tough out there right now.  Fortunately, “Green” is where it is at for today’s up and coming.  A recent article by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News, indicates that even in the middle of a global recession, wind and renewable energy are the future to be working towards.  I’d like to suggest that THIS IS the industry to be in.

In case you’re wondering, many indications are that 2009 is holding its own in this bummer of an economy.  Approximately 4000MW of wind energy were installed as of the end of Q2 with nearly 5000 MW of new construction expected to be completed by end of the year beginning of next year.  That is more wind energy installed in the first two quarters this year than the first two quarters of 2008. Not such a bummer after all!  Check out what the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is saying about our future.

The naysayers said we would barely make 5000 MW during 2009 and everything I read suggest a strong market resurgence in 2010 and continuing for the immediate future.  Seems pretty simple to me, you have to install renewable energy if you want to meat a renewable energy portfolio standard.  And this will translate to JOBS!

So, like one of my all time favorite hockey players once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”  Time to tighten up the laces and get ready for a fast pace in the renewable energy sector.