Jobs in wind energy, construction and health care top the list of jobs to be created through stimulus funds headed to the Big Country. Stimulus funds are expected to create or save 3.5 million jobs nationally over the next two years, including 269,000 jobs in Texas and as many as 7,200 jobs in Abilene, Big Spring and Lubbock.
The jobless rate in Abilene rose from 5 percent in February 2009 to 5.2 percent in March, according to figures from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Despite the rise in unemployment, there are jobs to be filled in the Big Country and more on the horizon, thanks to recovery act funding. The hot jobs in coming months will be wind energy, health care, skilled labor, road construction, education, corrections and advanced manufacturing.
The TWC is already using stimulus funds to provide training and educational opportunities in wind energy and skilled labor sectors. The TWC is planning to address additional educational training needs to address the nursing shortage as well.
The building of the transmission lines and construction of wind turbines is already creating a demand for electrical linemen and wind turbine technicians. According to the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium, there are 1,200 wind energy related jobs in Nolan County alone. The consortium projects 1,300 jobs in 2009. A total of $5 billion has been set aside for the expansion of the state's electric grid, and a huge portion of that work will be in the Big Country.
Stimulus funds have paved the way for Western Texas College in Snyder to partner with the Big Country Electric Cooperative and the Development Corp. of Snyder to offer training for electrical linemen. The nine-month course starts in the fall. The fall classes can accommodate up to 25 students. There are already 13 on the waiting list.
WTC is also partnering with Texas State Technical College (TSTC) to train students for green energy jobs. WTC will offer the general education courses, and TSTC will offer courses in wind energy, with all qualifying for transfer to Texas Tech, where a four-year degree will be offered. So far, TSTC has received about $1 million in stimulus funding by the TWC to partner with Texas Tech University to offer four-year degrees related to wind energy. TSTC has applied for $18 million in stimulus funding from the State Energy Conservation office to be used for training in wind and solar energy areas.
Training is also underway at TSTC for jobs in wind energy. A slowdown in financing has temporarily flattened job creation, but the outlook is set to improve. Jobs for wind tower technicians, which pay between $14 and $22 an hour should open soon.
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