Lethbridge College’s International Wind Energy Academy (IWEA) is hosting workshops on Green Careersat the Ignite Change Now! Global Youth Assembly 2011 (GYA) in Edmonton July 30. Topics will include the outreach work the Wind Turbine Technician Training Program team is doing in southern Alberta to build wind energy capacity.
Within the seminars, participants will learn the value of energy efficiency, small wind and small solar applications with the opportunity to get their local schools involved as demonstration sites. The presentation will touch on the success of three Alberta schools (Cochrane High School, Olympic Heights Elementary School in Calgary and Queen Elizabeth High School in Edmonton) and the steps they took to integrate renewable energy into their curriculum and everyday lives. There will also be an opportunity to learn about what green careers exist for those who want to pursue a job in the wind industry as a Wind Turbine Technician performing operation and maintenance on 80 metre multi-million dollar turbines.
“One of our goals is to encourage the development of the renewable energy sector in small wind and solar in southern Alberta,” says Kris Hodgson, Lethbridge College wind energy community liaison. “Sharing this information with hundreds of youth and young professionals sparks the conversation in regards to green careers and building capacity in the wind energy sector.”
In May of 2010, Rural Alberta’s Development Fund (RADF) announced a $1.2-million contribution to Lethbridge College in order to establish southern Alberta as a world leader in the wind energy sector. As a result, the college formed a RADF project coordination group to act as a catalyst creating interest, support and capacity in rural communities seizing opportunities for wind energy development.
The GYA is a vibrant social forum presented every two years by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights and its partners. This international youth conference welcomes up to 800 youth, ages 16-28 to take part in the platform of change and growth.