Every Tuesday and Thursday in the fall, Taylor Schneider and his students start class by gathering their equipment and stretching. The 15 minutes of stretching is essential for their trips up a 400-foot wind turbine.
These climbs up the turbine are part of Central Community College’s effort to lessen the shortage of workers in the renewable energy industry. The college offers wind, solar energy and battery storage accreditation — a rare combination that Schneider said has allowed him to teach students from rural Nebraska, surrounding states and other countries.
The problem for Schneider, though, is he hasn’t had enough of those students. It’s a struggle shared by Nebraska’s other community- college based renewable energy training program at Northeast Community College.
