Legislature(2009 - 2010)BUTROVICH 205
02/18/2009 05:15 PM Senate WORLD TRADE, TECH, INNOVATIONS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Workforce Development in Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON WORLD TRADE, TECHNOLOGY AND
INNOVATION
February 18, 2009
5:19 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lesil McGuire, Chair
Senator Hollis French
Senator Gary Stevens
Senator Bill Wielechowski
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Charlie Huggins
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Workforce Development in Alaska
HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner
Department of Education & Early Development
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed workforce development in Alaska.
FRAN ULMER, Chancellor
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed workforce development in Alaska.
CLICK BISHOP, Commissioner
Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed workforce development in Alaska.
FRED ESPOSITO, Director
Division of Business Partnership
Alaska Vocational Technical Center
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Seward, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed workforce development in Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
5:19:03 PM
CHAIR LESIL MCGUIRE called the Senate Special Committee on World
Trade, Technology and Innovation meeting to order at 5:19 p.m.
Present at the call to order were Senators French, Stevens,
Wielechowski and McGuire.
^Workforce Development in Alaska
5:19:20 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the agenda today is to hear about
workforce development - preparing Alaskans for jobs in emerging
careers and alternative energy technologies. The Senate has been
working on energy policy. Last year they passed a weatherization
package, and the budget and audit committee just approved $100
million in grants through the Alaska Energy Authority for
alternative energy projects statewide. Hopefully many of the
people working on these projects will be young Alaskans, she
said.
CHAIR MCGUIRE recognized Commissioner Larry LeDoux, Commissioner
Click Bishop, Chancellor Fran Ulmer, Chancellor Brian Rogers,
and Fred Esposito.
5:21:33 PM
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED), said he started his career as a technical
teacher in electronics communication and he likes to talk about
what he used to do. He posited that one of the best things
happening today in career and technology education (CTE) is
Click Bishop, commissioner of the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development (DOLWD). In Alaska today fewer K-12
students are enrolled in career and technical programs than in
1998. DOLWD has developed a number of programs and DEED is
attempting to catch up and mesh with them. This is different
than in most states. Usually it's high schools or K-12 that
takes the lead in career and technical education and beg the
department of labor to work with them. It's the opposite here in
Alaska and DEED is eager to catch up and work together.
Last year about 17,000 students in Alaska took one career
technology course. Approximately 1,000 students took two courses
that were related in a career cluster. Almost 3,000 students
participated in "tech prep" programs. He'd like more
enrollments. Within Alaska there are 172 comprehensive high
schools; magnet career technology schools in Fairbanks and
Wasilla; career focus programs in Anchorage, MatSu and Nome;
construction academies in Anchorage, Fairbanks, MatSu, Kenai,
Juneau and Ketchikan; several boarding schools; a learning
academy in Galena; a living center in Nenana; and a vocational
technical program at Mount Edgecombe High School. A number of
other programs exist under temporary grants including the Sitka
Career Consortium and a health career program in Bethel.
5:25:34 PM
Expanding K-12 career and technical education to include
alternative and renewable energy makes perfect sense and moves
in concert with President Obama's stated goal of doubling the
use of renewable energy in three years. However, no specific
programs have been approved in the K-12 system in Alaska, so any
programs that do exist are based on innovations of teachers and
principals. For example: the Bristol Bay High School has a
program to rebuild a car to make it energy efficient; the MatSu
construction program emphasizes energy efficient windows and
mold prevention; the Nome JROTC has incorporated the Young
Engineers' program; and the Cordova Energy Center developed an
interactive website and is exploring ways to generate energy
using community resources and ways to conserve energy. It's an
exciting synergy that goes on when these kids work together, he
said. In Sitka the Alaska Energy Careers was grant funded and in
Kodiak students are actively involved in designing energy
efficient buildings.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said a lot of good things are happening, but
there isn't a comprehensive program that connects to programs
being developed at AVTEC or the University of Alaska. The
challenges of developing a comprehensive program in energy
technologies are the same that they face in CTE. They don't have
the curriculum, the specialized teachers, the facility space or
the funding. Most vocational directors, principals and
superintendants would say that when the Legislature went to
block funding of career and technical education, the money
flowed away from specific programs.
Strengths of the program include DOLWD and UAA. The latter
generates hundreds of two-year graduates in career and technical
fields. Industry partnerships are strong and help keep programs
alive by contributing money, expertise, materials and space.
Potential and developing programs include: the STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math) project, the Nome and Bering
Straits wind farm, construction academies to train auditors, and
the electric coop in Kodiak.
5:31:08 PM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said possibilities for the future include:
developing a comprehensive and approved K-12 energy curriculum;
getting the state to sponsor competitions in renewable energy
innovations; developing a tech prep program in renewable energy
careers in conjunction with DOLWD, AVTEC and the university; and
making available innovative energy renewable mini-grants to
schools. The Alaska Science and Technology Foundation used to
fund mini grants. "If you ever had a chance to see what young
people were able to produce with $5,000 and the innovative
research that they were able to conduct, those programs never
would have left," he said.
5:32:35 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE said thank you, particularly for highlighting what
the students in Cordova and Bristol Bay are doing.
5:32:56 PM
FRED ESPOSITO, Director, Division of Business Partnership,
Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTC), Department of Labor
and Workforce Development, introduced himself.
CLICK BISHOP, Commissioner, Department of Labor and Workforce
Development, introduced himself and thanked Commissioner LeDoux
for his kind words. It's a pleasure to work with him and it's
also a pleasure to have Chancellor Ulmer here. "I'm a coalition
builder … It's a real pleasure to work with the university
system and education and we are working closely together," he
said.
5:35:07 PM
COMMISSIONER BISHOP paraphrased a letter he wrote to the
university to set the tone for where labor, education and the
university is going in the field of workforce development and
innovations in green technology.
Dear President Hamilton: I'm seeking your support to
develop a strategy for the post-secondary system for
career and technical education in this state to ensure
that they are aligned to train and educate our
citizens without needless duplications of programs and
investments. Hopefully you will join me in this
endeavor to make sure that we position the state of
Alaska to be in the right place at the right time with
the right programs to assist Alaskans in getting
quality jobs in Alaska, maximizing Alaska resident
hire overall and reducing the number and amount of
wages that are leaving our state.
We're working together to cut out the duplication of services,
strengthen programs individually and move forward, he said.
COMMISSIONER BISHOP said he reads a lot and isn't short on
vision and he knows that with technology you have to look ahead
three to five years. About eight months ago he told Mr. Esposito
that he'd seen or heard about wind turbines in Nome, Kotzebue
and other villages in Alaska and that to his knowledge nobody
was delivering the hands-on training on repair and maintenance
of the turbines. He wants to be able to deliver that training in
the state. The same applies to hydro technology. In Seward there
is the ability to do hydro training.
5:38:20 PM
FRED ESPOSITO said the AVTEC mission statement is "To train a
diverse and effective workforce that supports the economic
growth and stability of our state." That encompasses looking
forward and to the future for technologies that will impact our
workforce.
AVTEC is a component of DOLWD and has been providing career
training since 1969. It is based in Seward and has distance
delivery and a program in Anchorage. Last year about 1,200
students were enrolled in job preparatory and upgrade training
programs. For quite some time AVTEC has been partnering with the
Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) to provide an eight week training
for diesel power plant operators. AEA recruits operators from
the communities it serves and AVTEC provides the training in a
working power plant that has four diesel generators hooked into
a switch gear system. In conjunction with operator training,
AVTEC provides bulk fuel plant operator training. It's a good
combination because the diesel operator in a community
frequently operates the bulk fuel plant as well. Those operators
have to abide by OSHA safety rules and make efficient use of
their fuel.
5:40:46 PM
Under direction from Commissioner Bishop, AVTEC is looking at
what it can do to address the need for alternate energy job
training. Some years ago the City of Seward had a small hydro
electric plant, but for various reasons it was mothballed. Now
AVTEC is working with the city and AEA to find money to clean
out the penstock, upgrade the electrical system and return the
plant to operation. It will be used in training and to generate
electricity.
5:42:00 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE noted that Senator Huggins had joined the
committee.
COMMISSIONER BISHOP said his thought was that getting the hydro
plant back on line could lower operating costs in Seward and the
savings could be used in other areas where upgrades in tooling
and curriculum are needed. He's a big hydro fan.
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked how much power the plant can generate.
MR. ESPOSITO explained that the plant can generate 250
kilowatts, but the available water flow is capable of producing
just 100 kilowatts. He noted that when the plant was in
operation previously, all training took place at the Hoover Dam.
The current program is much more "Alaskanized" and keeps the
training and students here.
CHAIR MCGUIRE observed that there might be potential to
replicate this model in other parts of Alaska.
MR. ESPOSITO agreed. As more hydro facilities are built they'll
learn more about how to integrate those with diesel power
generation. Then they can start to talk about the integration of
alternative energy sources with standard energy sources. That's
where the real benefit will come because communities are faced
with not only adding alternative energies but how to integrate
two or three sources to make a viable energy system.
5:44:22 PM
About a year ago and working in conjunction with AEA, AVTEC
installed a meteorological tower to study wind potential in
Seward. Recently they submitted an application for a renewable
energy grant to purchase and install a wind turbine on the AVTEC
Seward campus. They'll tie in to the existing diesel plant and
be able to show and teach integration of two different energy
sources. If this project is successful, AVTEC will be able to
provide hands-on training and create a world-class wind-diesel
operator training program.
CHAIR MCGUIRE assumed they are watching for ways to integrate
with the federal stimulus package. She also suggested they watch
for the net energy metering bills because that would probably
reduce the overall cost of running the training facility.
COMMISSIONER BISHOP said the possibility of raising revenue for
the school was a factor in his wanting to get the hydro plant
and wind turbine up and running. President Obama said he'd like
to double the number of wind turbines in the U.S. in the next
two years. I want Alaska to be on the front end with respect to
having a skilled trained workforce to maintain the turbines in
the state, he said.
5:47:12 PM
MR. ESPOSITO displayed an overhead view of the AVTEC Seward
campus and explained that the proposed site for the wind turbine
is next to the existing diesel generation power plant and the
switch gear. This will allow low cost integration of the two
power sources.
The objectives are:
1) To establish a world-class wind-diesel program that supports
the interests of Alaska stakeholders including wind-diesel
system owners and operators, the Rural Alaska Electric
Cooperatives and the Alaska Energy Authority.
2) To create hands-on education opportunities at an on-campus
wind-diesel power plant.
3) To utilize standardized, proven and relevant technologies for
Alaskan applications.
As Commissioner LeDoux mentioned, a K-12 outreach program is
envisioned. The idea is to get young Alaskans interested in
emerging energy technology careers. At this time there are no
wind-diesel training programs in Alaska. Previously AEA sent
students to Vermont for training. Currently there are about 20
utility-scale wind projects in operation statewide and about 23
percent of the applications for renewable energy fund grants
were for wind energy projects.
CHAIR MCGUIRE commented that legislators have been told
repeatedly that it's the fastest growing alternative energy.
5:50:08 PM
COMMISSIONER BISHOP commented that those 20 utility-scale wind
projects don't consider the mom and pop setups that are
scattered throughout the state, and there are a lot of them. The
idea is to share the curriculum they're developing with the
university and K-12 systems so residents across the state can
learn to service their own turbines.
5:51:32 PM
MR. ESPOSITO outlined some of the benefits of the AVTEC program:
1) Training will take place in Alaska.
2) The program will be based on the existing and successful AVEC
(Alaska Village Electric Cooperative) training program.
3) In-state training will cost less and provide opportunity for
expanding the curriculum.
4) The estimated savings for not sending students out of state
for training is $97,000 per year.
5) Payback is estimated in about 6.5 years if some of the wind
turbine energy offsets electrical costs at the campus.
COMMISSIONER BISHOP added that they also have their eye on the
stimulus money through the federal department of labor that is
grant driven for green energy technology.
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked about geothermal.
MR. ESPOSITO said some folks from Russia have inquired about
geothermal training and AVTEC wants to look instate for those
opportunities.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked who AVTEC partners with.
MR. ESPOSITO replied AVEC, the existing energy cooperatives, the
K-12 system and the University of Alaska would all be potential
partners to develop this program.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if AVTEC is up to the challenge of
managing the system integrations.
MR. ESPOSITO replied it really comes down to software. The
specific wind turbine AVTEC is looking to install has a smart
software monitoring system that will allow AVTEC to mimic what's
going on in smaller communities where the integration of wind
and diesel is occurring. We'll be able to look at the different
situations they'll run into.
5:56:22 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if an Anchorage vender is a player.
MR. ESPOSITO replied the most common installation in rural
Alaska is the North Wind 100 wind turbine that's manufactured in
Vermont. That's the type AVTEC is talking about installing.
CHAIR MCGUIRE thanked Commissioner Bishop and Mr. Esposito and
said the committee looks forward to hearing updates.
5:57:13 PM
FRAN ULMER, Chancellor, University of Alaska, Anchorage, said
she will talk briefly about the role the university might play
to help the state move into a green job economy, about education
and training for the new economy, and the challenges she sees.
The University of Alaska has major campuses in Anchorage,
Fairbanks and Juneau and about a dozen community campuses
throughout the state. She will talk primarily about UAA, which
has 20,000 of the 30,000 total statewide student body.
The emerging green job potential within the state and nationally
could have a powerful impact on "growing our own" in a
sustainable and renewable way that could cut energy costs. That
is a goal and the university can assist in four major ways: 1)
as a trainer 2) as an innovator - as a way of transferring
knowledge from research into the field 3) as a partner - being
able to add and offer technical expertise and 4) as a
facilitator - trying to make sure that the various entities
reach a common objective.
6:00:01 PM
As a trainer - Training and education is the core of what the
university does. It's important that high school students are
not only graduating with strong math and science skills but also
reading, writing, computer and the ability to learn new skills.
The most important thing we can be doing at all levels of
education includes the basic building blocks, but it's also
important to train and educate people to adjust. The world we
see today will change so it's not just specific job training for
specific career paths; it's the broader goal of an educated
citizenry.
Each university campus has very specific and varied job training
career paths. She displayed a chart and mentioned finance, air
traffic controllers and culinary arts. The range is from
certificates and associate degrees through four year degrees and
masters. The point is to make it easy to think about alternative
careers, the education/training requirements and the kind of job
you could get. Career pathways are an important part of what the
university does.
As an innovator - Research is important at all campuses but UAF
has the lion's share. The energy field in particular is
something UAF has worked on for a long time. We are hopeful we
can make the technology transfer part of decision making.
As a partner - The university partners with various entities
including DOLWD, DEED and the administration in general. Those
partnerships help everyone do a better job.
As a facilitator - We need to grow entrepreneurs as much as we
need to grow nurses, engineers and dental hygienists. We can do
a better job focusing on business development and providing
competitions to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs. There
are institutes and research centers at UAA and UAF and programs
at UAS that are working toward this goal, but more work needs to
be done.
6:03:46 PM
CHANCELLOR ULMER recapped that there's training and education,
there's research, there's entrepreneurial development, there's
transfer of innovations and technology to industry, communities,
individuals, and there are partnerships. When you talk about the
current training and education at the University of Alaska to
support a green energy economy, you have to mention that
alternative energy jobs will be in construction, installation,
operations and management, and economic analysis and research on
feasibility of projects. Construction management is a strong
program at UAA. Engineering is a very strong program at UAF and
UAA. She noted that currently the UA system is graduating about
100 engineers a year at the two campuses and the regents want to
double that number. Engineering companies, the oil and gas
industry, the mining industry and the construction industry
would like even more, but that's the current goal. We're on
track to do that, she said. The university capital budget
request is $25 million to grow those two engineering programs.
Whether you're talking about alternative energy development or
the existing oil and gas industry or any number of our resource
development economies, we need more engineers and we need to
grow our own.
6:05:28 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if those dollars are in the budget.
CHANCELLOR ULMER replied the $25 million is a capital request,
which is not in the governor's request. It's in the regent's
request to the legislature. It would be for planning and design
work for facilities expansion at UAA and UAF. We consider that
an extremely important building block for both traditional
energy development and alternative energy development. That's an
important piece of the puzzle.
SENATOR MCGUIRE asked about attracting and retaining educated
intellectually curious people from Outside to come and be
trained in these engineering programs.
CHANCELLOR ULMER replied it's always a good idea to attract new
energetic people who will help build Alaska's future, but as
chancellor her first responsibility is to create slots in the
engineering school, nursing school, accounting school, business
school, and logistics program for Alaskans. She wants them to
get the education and training necessary so they can get these
great jobs. About half the engineers currently licensed in
Alaska got their training and license Outside. We want to grow
our own, she said. Arctic engineering and other things that are
taught as a part of the engineering programs at both UAA and UAF
are important for the people who are doing business here. We
hear from engineering firms that have to recruit Outside that
it's expensive and challenging to get those recruits to stay in
Alaska. Once they're here they have to learn a lot about doing
business and doing engineering in Alaska. It's important to
think about how we can build not only the alternative energy
economy but also the gas line and a variety of other major
projects that we hope will be a part of Alaska's future, she
said.
6:08:21 PM
SENATOR FRENCH commented that when he recently met with some UAA
engineering students one described a class project he had
developed to study small-scale renewable-energy projects in
Girdwood similar to what Mr. Esposito described in Seward.
People would receive training to install and maintain these
systems and they'd take that training into the Bush. He said he
couldn't have been more impressed; the work and thought that
went into that project was remarkable. This is what this
committee is trying to get at, he said.
CHANCELLOR ULMER said she has been briefed on that project;
they're trying to work with the municipality to see if there's
enough synergy to make something happen. It's early in the
process and hasn't been thoroughly vetted by the university, but
the students and faculty are excited about it. There are so many
good ideas and it makes no sense to work independently without
talking to each other. Forums like this are a good idea to
listen and learn from each other. It's good news that there is a
lot of open dialog and cooperation at all levels.
6:10:58 PM
CHANCELLOR ULMER said that when there is so much going on it's a
challenge to get your arms around it. I don't have the answer
here tonight, but there is a phenomenal amount of good things
happening in the UA system that I'm very proud of, she said. The
logistics center is fabulous and the Masters in Project
Management is one of only 18 accredited programs in the world.
In fact, Alaska Airlines has contracted with UAA to teach
project management to its executives. Project management,
construction management, engineering, logistics and a whole
array of technical programs are all good news stories that fit
together with the alternative energy economy of the future.
She said you should be proud of our strong university that has
strong programs throughout the state that are working together
to make the most for our students, for your constituents and for
the state's economy. She thanked the committee for its best
efforts to create the opportunities for everyone to learn from
each other, listen to each other and, hopefully, work better
together.
CHAIR MCGUIRE thanked Chancellor Ulmer and said this committee
means to open the dialog and put legislative support in the
right places. She said she agrees that training Alaskans is the
number one goal but in terms of long-term planning, it could be
that a part of this economy ends up being expertise and training
much as you talked about global logistics and project planning.
There are other countries that have become experts in geothermic
energy and people fly in from around the world to get that kind
of training. It's a part of their economy. It's something to
think about but we have to get our own trained first, she said.
I appreciate that that's where your heart is, she added.
6:14:00 PM
CHAIR MCGUIRE adjourned the Senate Special Committee on World
Trade, Technology and Innovation meeting at 6:14 pm.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Ulmer - Presentation 02-18-09.pdf |
SWTI 2/18/2009 5:15:00 PM |
|
| AVTEC_Presentation_02-18-09.pdf |
SWTI 2/18/2009 5:15:00 PM |
|
| Ulmer PP Presentation - 02-18-09.ppt |
SWTI 2/18/2009 5:15:00 PM |