ASK 2: What should you do when a driver comes to an intersection with a flashing yellow left turn arrow?Texas Legislature
Here on the eastern edge of the Permian Basin, stable paychecks and the chance to travel draw young people like Vasquez into the wind industry. And once Vasquez secures his associate’s degree in wind energy technology, he knows he has a good shot of finding a job in the field after college. Saunders is part of a wave of Texans in the oil-rich Permian Basin who made the jump from oil and gas to wind energy in the last decade. He was drawn to the burgeoning renewable energy industry because of the stability in pay. It was a sharp contrast to life in the oil fields, where salaries fluctuate based on the price of the oil barrel. Starting salaries for wind technicians are about $47,000 a year, and people in the field can make up to $90,000, according to the U.S.
A workforce gap could threaten to slow down the growth of the industry, Michael Webber, a professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin, said. “It’s a catch-22, we’re growing year over year,” said Aaron Nelson, a wind technician out of McCamey. “Me personally, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find the right people.”
“I didn't really find anything there that I really wanted to do. So I just came over here,” said Vasquez, who lives in an apartment on campus. “I always just go whenever I can.” When an industry grows at the rate that wind energy has in recent years, community colleges have usually positioned themselves to create programs to respond to those job needs. But Texas community colleges have little appetite for expanding training in renewable energy.
Even now, Ducheneaux said the college doesn’t feel like they have enough interest to restart the program. Wind companies are making some efforts to reach students beyond Sweetwater — but it might be harder without help from the state. “You don’t have to go to a big four-year-school,” Shaw tells the students. “You can go to TSTC down the road…They’re going to get you all the knowledge you need and all the exposure you need to set you up for success.”