In partnership with global safety training leader TEAM-1 Academy Inc., Lethbridge Polytechnic is renewing a partnership for the continuation of safety training and certification for students, instructors and practising wind turbine technicians in southern Alberta and beyond.
"Developing and building upon relationships we have with industry is key to our function as a polytechnic," says Sheldon Anderson, dean, Centre for Trades and Technologies. "TEAM-1 Academy is a valued partner in serving our students and greater region in providing exemplary safety, rescue and technical training opportunities for the wind energy industry."
As part of the partnership, TEAM-1 Academy trainers will provide in-kind safety, rescue and technical training and certifications for students and instructors in Lethbridge Polytechnic's Wind Turbine Technician program. In addition, TEAM-1 Academy will also certify the Wind Turbine Shop as a Global Wind Organization (GWO) approved site to offer training to workers from wind power generation companies. The polytechnic and TEAM-1 Academy first partnered to offer wind turbine safety training in 2019 for a three-year term, followed by a four-year term in 2022.
"We extend our gratitude and thanks to TEAM-1 Academy for both their investment in our program and the mark of confidence it shows in continuing to train students and professionals on our campus," says Chris DeLisle, instructor, Centre for Trades and Technologies. "This is an industry that continues to grow and expand, and we look forward to working with TEAM-1 Academy in training future technicians."
The renewed four-year partnership provides in-kind training and certifications valued at up to $250,000 per year, depending on the number of students in the program. TEAM-1 Academy will also provide more than $70,000 in in-kind equipment and direct financial support for the polytechnic's Wind Turbine Technician certificate program as consideration for the use of the Wind Turbine Shop to deliver its external training opportunities. In recognition of this partnership and the value it brings to the institution, the training platform in the polytechnic's Wind Turbine Technician shop continues to be named in honour of TEAM-1 Academy.
"When we first partnered with Lethbridge in 2019, we said we were looking forward to a long relationship and this third agreement is proof of what that relationship has become," says Scott R. Connor, chief of training, TEAM-1 Academy Inc. "Lethbridge Polytechnic's students leave this program climb-ready and safety-minded and that's exactly what the wind industry needs as it continues to grow."
TEAM-1 Academy Inc. has led North America in Global Wind Organisation (GWO), industrial and municipal safety training for more than two decades, running 1,000+ courses annually in renewable energy, construction, health care, utilities, emergency services and military/government sectors.
Students enrolled in the nationally recognized Wind Turbine Technician program also get hands-on experience by scaling the training tower on campus and working on a 140,000-kilogram nacelle housed in the polytechnic's Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility. Career pathways include, but aren't limited to, wind turbine construction, maintenance and manufacturing, as well as apprentice electrician and blade repair technician.
Learn more about Lethbridge Polytechnic's Wind Turbine Technician program at lethpolytech.ca/programs-and-courses/wind-turbine-technician.
