New international group includes Indian Hills CC, many industry leaders in biofuels development
(ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 4, 2008) — The number of “green collar” jobs is on the rise in America. By 2015, the biodiesel and ethanol industries will create more than 240,000 full-time jobs in all sectors related to renewable fuels production, economic experts project.
To meet the demand for educating this new workforce, a training consortium has been established with financial support from the U.S. Department of Labor to prepare potential employees, community leaders and first responders to work in and around biodiesel and ethanol production facilities.
Iowa Biofuels Training International (IBTI) pairs educational institutions and biofuels producers with potential green collar workers. IBTI’s programs are designed to train individuals for full-time ethanol and biodiesel laboratory, maintenance and operations positions.
“Today, the state of Iowa leads the nation in ethanol and biodiesel production,” said IBTI executive director Joe Brehm. “We have seen the need for skilled employees in our own state, and are looking forward to offering hands-on, cutting-edge training for green collar job candidates.
“IBTI is ready to partner with domestic and international educational institutions and biodiesel and ethanol producers who would like to take advantage of Iowa’s expertise in producing clean-burning renewable fuels in these fast-paced industries.”
Biotechnology leaders Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa/Centerville, Iowa, received U.S. Department of Labor grants to set the foundation for IBTI. The colleges conducted extensive industry research and made production-facility site visits to develop IBTI’s job guides and curriculum to educate individuals entering the growing biofuels industry from other sectors. To create the guides for biodiesel workers, IBTI called on Renewable Energy Group, Inc., a leader in U.S. biodiesel production and marketing.
“Working with IBTI to develop biodiesel training curriculum aids the biodiesel industry in recruiting and retaining qualified candidates and reducing the amount of time it takes to get a new employee up to speed and working to their full potential,” said REG CEO and Chairman Jeff Stroburg, whose company trained more than 100 employees to work in seven commercial-scale biodiesel production facilities in 2007.
Educational institutions offering biofuels related courses may become “IBTI Certified” training partners and take advantage of industry partnerships.
“With IBTI, individuals from across the U.S. and around the globe can gain from the experience of Iowa’s leading biodiesel and ethanol industries,” Stroburg said.
To learn more about how IBTI is fueling the bioenergy workforce, visit the consortium’s Web site: www.biofuelstraining.org
About Renewable Energy Group®, Inc.
Renewable Energy Group, Inc., (REG) is a biodiesel industry sales leader and is a full-service biodiesel company offering plant management, risk management, raw material procurement, plant construction management, and biodiesel production, sales and marketing services. REG’s network of biodiesel production facilities includes a wholly owned biodiesel plant and management of third party-owned plants. Renewable Energy Group, Inc., markets biodiesel to fuel distributors and customers in many industries including on-highway fleets, original equipment manufacturers, maritime, military, home heating and agriculture industries.
To learn more about Renewable Energy Group, Inc., please visit www.regfuel.com