10/24/11 kb/ks/jb

HAYS, Kan. -- Cloud County Community College, Concordia, has become the second recipient of a grant from EnergyNET Kansas. The grant will fund online course development for a 68-credit-hour wind energy technology education program. SchwindTEC Inc., a Kansas company, has been awarded a contract to develop the online courses.

EnergyNET, which is short for Energy Network of Education and Training, is a $1.6 million investment by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Board of Regents to coordinate a network of public higher education institutions across the state in providing enhanced hybrid and online workforce training. Fort Hays State University coordinates and directs EnergyNET.

Cloud County will receive $265,000 to develop 22 highly interactive online and simulation-based courses that will allow anyone across the state, region and country to receive the necessary education and training to apply for a position in the field of wind energy technology.

The program offers a technical certificate and an associate's degree to train entry-level operators and maintenance technicians for the wind energy generation industry.

EnergyNET conducted an industry focus group at Cloud County Community College to learn about the workforce needs of the wind industry.

The educational program comprises 22 separate courses such as Wind Power Delivery, Wind Turbine Siting, Introduction to Wind Energy, Applied Airfoils, and Basic Electricity in addition to courses on applied physics, transformer theory, hydraulics, mechanical systems, and networking and computer technology courses.

For more information, contact Tim Cossaart, assistant director of EnergyNET, at 785-628-4611 or tccossaart@fhsu.edu.