Marano Fellows Class of 2011

Name: Bellegran Gomez
Organization:

Cerritos Community College

Location: Norwalk, CA
Primary Industry Sector:

Manufacturing

Type of Organization: Community College

“The challenge and satisfaction to meeting the needs of businesses and people. It is gratifying to know when an employee who completed one of our courses receives a promotion and better wages, and the business finds value in our trainings and continues to engage in our programs. Plus with the wind industry, I enjoy learning about new and emerging technology, and it seems to be a neglected industry in comparison to others such as the solar photovoltaic area.”

Organizational Mission: Cerritos College was founded in 1955 and its mission is to serve the community by building futures through learning. The Economic Development Department serves the workforce training and education needs of business and industry. For the past 10 years, we have provided technical assistance and customized training to support employers and the economy.

Interest in Sector Work: Cerritos College Economic Development provides specialized trainings serving businesses in all sectors of the economy from retailers to aerospace manufacturers. The department is also recognized as an affiliate Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) under the California Community College’s Economic and Workforce Development Program. As the Cerritos CACT, we have focused in manufacturing technologies, material science and machining. Our core competencies are: plastics, composites, welding, computer numeric control, electronics, drafting, computer aided design (MasterCAM/ SolidWorks), automotive, management and quality trainings.

Recently, we have expanded course offerings by developing the wind blade repair training. The curriculum is unique in the Southern California area. The program was developed with industry partners to address the skill sets gap not found in currently available wind technician trainings. Also, despite economic downturn slowing the industry’s development, the need for skilled technicians is increasing with the need to maintain the 30,000 turbines it already has, most of which are in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles.

The average technician in California earns $40,000 annually, while the experienced workers can earn twice that amount. These jobs are a boon to many of the displaced manufacturing and construction workers, which were hard hit with the economic downturn. As wind turbine infrastructure begins to age and require maintenance, industry leaders are looking to employ qualified technicians to perform the proper maintenance and services at wind farms.