Green energy: where the jobs are

Lindsey Paluso, Field Resource Coordinator for Vestas, asks this question of job applicants: can you climb a 300-foot wind turbine? Vestas and other wind power companies are hiring anyone who can climb a tower.

The energy company will pay their wind turbine maintenance staff $17-$32 per hour, plus per diems. The field is growing quickly at a time when unemployment in the greater US economy is at a level of 6%. With ten new towers going up each day, Vestas needs about 100 new employees in the coming months.

Energy prices are transforming the industry, and the expansion is considerable. Since it is a new industry, finding candidates with the skills in place is difficult. Many of the hires are former military, and others possess solid mechanical skills in need of additional industry-specific training.

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