By Barbara Hins-Turner, Centralia College

Washington State is leading the nation in leveraging its community college system to provide specialized workforce education for industries vital to the state’s economy. In 2004, through a competitive process, the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges designated 11 Centers of Excellence (COE) within the 34-college system. The COE’s are charged with leading systemic initiatives that support industry and labor workforce development needs.

Centralia College, one of the smallest colleges in the state, hosts the COE for energy technology. Located in Lewis County where 10 percent of the state’s electric power is generated by a coal fired plant, gas plant and four hydro projects, the COE is positioned to lead Pacific Northwest energy industry succession and workforce education initiatives. The power generation skill standards developed by industry and labor subject matter experts (representing partners such as Bonneville Power Administration, Puget Sound Energy, the Mid Columbia PUD’s and IBEW Local #77) are the foundation for the training program. Funded by the Washington State Workforce and Education and Training Coordinating Board, the Skill Standards provide the platform for curriculum development and a benchmark for industry human resource planning.

Industry leaders believe that growing local talent will increase retention rates. To reach remote areas of the state, the COE is delivering courses through interactive TV broadcast to Wenatchee Valley College, which is located in the Columbia River hydro system. Randy Steadman, Chelan County PUD human resource manager, endorses the program saying, “Partnering with Wenatchee Valley College and the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology at Centralia College is a very efficient way for us to develop talent from our local market. Working with IBEW, we believe the energy technology program will shorten the apprenticeship time by as much as a year, making it a very cost-effective solution.”

The fledgling Associate in Applied Science Energy Technology program (now boasting over 50 students) graduated its first eight students in June 2006. Seven of the first class graduated and walked into local power plant or boiler operator jobs. By last fall, second-year students like Brian Blaire began landing operator jobs at power projects such as the Bureau of Reclamation’s Grand Coulee Dam before graduation. Dale Singer, operations specialist at Grand Coulee dam developed an innovative apprentice program and made the case to labor and management that Blaire’s education was equivalent to a fourth-step apprentice.

“We cut off three steps of paying wages, hours and benefits without sacrificing training quality” said Singer.

Training challenges for apprentices in remote areas face Kim Howell, BPA technical training manager. Howell believes distance learning is the answer. To meet that need, BPA and the COE partnered to deliver high voltage apprentice theory training online through the Washington State Community College online system. BPA is also developing skill standards for transmission positions to serve as companion documents for the power generation skill standards.

Seattle Steam, which provides district energy for Seattle, was seeking a training partner to deliver skills upgrade training to their shift operators. The COE, in partnership with PanGlobal Canada is now delivering power plant stationary engineering to Seattle Steam’s operators. PanGloblal’s online testing capabilities prepare students for the National Institute for the Uniform Licensing of Power Engineers, Inc. (NIULPE), a third-party licensing agency that establishes national standards of competence for boiler firemen and water-tenders, engineers, operators, examiners and instructors.

Eric Markell, senior vice president of energy resources, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is concerned with the skill level of new hires in the industry. “The Centralia College program gives someone a year or two running start versus someone off the street,” he said. PSE is equally concerned with skills upgrade training for incumbent workers. The COE met the need to document the knowledge of PSE’s workforce with a credit-for-prior-learning program delivered at the power plant.

In partnership with the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council, the COE is leading an effort to create a regional training center for skilled trades/craft training at the Satsop Development Park, Elma, WA. Satsop, a never-fueled nuclear plant from the mid 1980’s, left behind a 40,000 square foot turnkey building, 800 acres of property and equipment valued in the millions. With this machinery and technology on site, Bob Guenther, IBEW Local #77 labor lobbyist, launched the idea of turning Satsop into a training facility for the power industry.

Dedicating a Training Center

On June 21, 2006, the Pacific Mountain Regional Training Center concept was unveiled to 150 attendees at the COE’s first Energy Summit. The day opened with a ceremony held inside one of the cooling towers. Nine IBEW Local #77 line apprentices climbed a freestanding utility pole and passed the American flag through each hand as a trumpeter played the National Anthem.

This coming June 21, the COE will host the 2nd annual Energy Summit at Satsop Development Park. There, industry and labor will speak out on workforce challenges, renewable energy initiatives and economic development projects. A post-conference session will be held at the New Market Skills Center, Olympia WA, where a high school energy program partnership with the COE will be unveiled.

Barbara Hins-Turner is executive director of Centralia College’s Center of Excellence for Energy Technology, Centralia, Wash.

Editor’s note. For information on the June summit, contact Cindy Mann at cmann@centralia.edu.