Tracy Rascoe, a 9-year wind power-training veteran has been named director of Wind Energy Technology for Vancouver's new Northwest Renewable Energy Institute (NW-REI).
The program is a separate division of the International Air & Hospitality Academy which plans to begin training wind energy technicians through its courses in Vancouver, Wash. this summer.
Rascoe, 46, will join NW-REI from Tucumcari, N.M. where he is presently director of wind energy technology at Mesalands Community College.
Following his time with the Navy, Rascoe began his wind energy career with Vestas Americas, training at its factories in Denmark and in various wind farms in North America. He designed and applied training curricula for a number of years while with Vestas including building, assembling, and commissioning turbines with specialization in operations and maintenance. Now headquartered in Portland, Vestas is the largest manufacturer of wind turbines in the world.
The new NW-REI training director at one time managed 17 wind farms in California for Vestas, and managed training in Newport Beach, Calif., for wind farm manufacturer, Mitsubishi.
This is a return to the Pacific Northwest for Rascoe who spent nearly three years in the Portland area while with Vestas.
"I'm looking forward to coming back and building a quality training program with Arch Miller at NW-REI," he said, "one that others will want to emulate, nationwide."
"I was attracted by our similar goals and commitments," he said of Miller. " Safety will be paramount in each of our program elements as well as a separate subject. I was attracted, too, by NW-REI's commitment to getting program participants into jobs following their training. "That's important to me as well."
A long time member of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the industry's trade organization, Rascoe serves as Education Work Group Leader for Community Colleges and Technical Schools. He is also a member of the American Society of Training and Development.
In addition to the new director, Miller said NW-REI will be hiring 12 instructors, three admissions representatives and a financial aid specialist. A total of 19 additional employees will be needed to staff this division.
International Air and Hospitality Academy began operations in Vancouver, Wash. in 1979 and has been accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. The Academy has graduated and placed more than 25,000 students during its 30 years of operation.
