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Wind-turbine technician academy ready for second go round

If you can function in tight quarters and work at great heights Kalamazoo Valley Community College's unique wind-turbine technician academy is looking for you.Applications are being accepted for the second 26-week program slated to begin June 1.The academy has 16 openings for students this year and the program is growing with funding from the federal government and instruction opportunities from a private donor.The federal government, through the United States Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education, kicked in $550,000. KVCC is awaiting word on how it will be able to spend the money on the program.A new opportunity for hands-on-experience comes from Crystal Flash Renewable Energy, of Grand Rapids. Academy trainees will work under the supervision of professional wind-turbine technicians, climbing the tower with them to learn preventive and corrective maintenance."This represents a way for us to invest in the future of the industry," says Martin Hamilton, of Crystal Flash Renewable Energy.The academy can be completed in six months, making the program attractive to retraining workers. The program also provides graduates with the credentials that are highly sought after by the wind-power industry for the construction, operation and maintenance of utility-size wind turbines, according to Cindy Buckley, executive director of training.KVCC's wind-technician academy is certified by the leading trainer for wind-turbine technicians across Europe and Asia — Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerebare Energien (BZEE). (That's "Renewable Energy Education Center" in English.) The certification makes academy graduates that much more attractive to employers.Companies already are contacting KVCC to find out how they can meet the academies graduates, Buckley says."The projection is that between 1,500 and 2,400 new technicians are needed annually to support the growing wind-energy industry," Buckley says. "Starting wages range from $14 to $21 per hour."Applications to the wind-turbine technician academy are accepted throughout the year. Qualified applicants who do not get into the June 1 class will be placed on the waiting list for  training that begins in December. A math test, results of a medical exam and documentation work experience in technical fields are part of the screening process. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cindy Buckley, KVCC

Benton Harbor Arts District starts to jump

About 75 people packed the Livery Thursday (March 4) for a town hall-style session to get ideas on rejuvenating the Benton Harbor Arts District, reports the Herald-Palladium. The event was hosted by New Territory Arts Association Executive Director Julie Katz and board President Herb Caldwell. The pair spent about two hours taking suggestions about things that people want to see happening in the Arts District.Excerpt:"We're bringing Art Hop back, because we've heard from the community, 'bring Art Hop back' - so I'll need a bus to get around to some of the locations," Katz said.Other suggestions focused on needs that are being overlooked, and finding spaces for them.Krasl Art Center Education Director Julia Gourley asked what could be done to house digital art and media, which is something that "I have people asking me every day," she said.To find out more suggestions read the whole story about revitalizing the Arts District.Source: Herald-Palladium Southwest Michigan

Downtown event center debate is on

A culinary school, urban farms, spaces for artists, retailers andentertainers could be neighborhood spinoffs of an event center plannedfor downtown Kalamazoo, reports the Kalamazoo Gazette.Kalamazoo County Commissioners must decide whether to proceed with theproject by asking voters whether they can agree to a 1 percent tax onfood and drink at restaurants and bars, and an increase in the hoteltax from 5 to 6 percent to fund construction of a 6,800-seat, $81million arena. The county has until May 25 to make a decision onwhether to place the question on the August ballot. Commissioners began weighing their options after a committee recommended proceeding with the event center.Excerpt: The proposed downtown Kalamazoo arena is feasible because ofconservative cost estimates, said Bob Beam, the retired vice president ofbusiness and finance at Western Michigan University.The committee took a conservative approach, estimating the restauranttax would generate about $4 million a year initially and grow by 1.75percent a year, Beam said."We think we have been careful in our revenue estimates," he said. To find out more, read the whole story on the downtown arena proposal.Source: Kalamazoo Gazette

Job retraining program in national spotlight

Job retraining programs in Benton Harbor and other parts of Southwest Michigan were the focus of a Fox News story on successes from the No Worker Left Behind Act, Fox News repoorts. The state and federal funding that comes from NWLB has put put new nurses, hotel managers and a variety of other occupations back into the workforce since it began retraining displaced workers in 2007.Excerpt from Lake Michigan College spokesperson: "Seventy-two percent of people in programs like this one have new jobs."To see the full story visit Fox News.  Source: Fox News

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