Wind Turbine Technician Academy Receives Recognition Certificate

The Wind Turbine Technician Academy at Kalamazoo Valley Community College recently received a three-year Certification of Approval for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems from Lloyd’s Register. Lloyd’s Register is accredited to certify critical infrastructures to meet more than 700 external or internal standards, rules, codes or directives.

As the nation’s leading training center for wind turbine technicians, the Wind Turbine Technician Academy at Kalamazoo Valley teaches 85% of the course through hands-on learning. Students attend Monday through Friday, eight hours a day for 24 weeks. It is the only competency-based program in the country which has earned certification by the Bildungszentrum für Erneuerbare Energien (BZEE) Renewable Energy Education Center, the premier training provider for wind turbine technicians in Europe and North America.

“Certification to ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems allows us to remain BZEE certified and also certified to continue delivering many of our safety programs,” said Tom Sutton, director of wind energy and technical services at Kalamazoo Valley. “Quality management goes hand-in-hand with safety management. Part of the ISO 9001:2015 certification is specifically addressing how the organization manages risk in all aspects of the operation.

To gain certification, Sutton had to provide evidence that his team evaluated, controlled and tried to reduce risk. “We had to show evidence that we operate on continuous improvement principles,” Sutton said.

The Wind Turbine Technician Academy provides a fast track to high demand/high pay jobs. Because the program was created in partnership with wind turbine manufacturers, wind energy employers, plus logistics and maintenance firms, the training content is exclusively focused on teaching the skills and abilities needed for employment.

“This certification sets the Wind Academy apart from other programs and because many wind employers also operate under ISO 9001:2015, it places us on the same field as them which makes it easier to have conversations about training opportunities and their ability to use our training records as proof of training in their programs, thus reducing overall costs to the company.”

The next Wind Turbine Technician Academy begins July 6, 2021 and applications are now being accepted. Visit www.kvcc.edu/wind for more information.