From High Schoolers to Grandmothers, Union Helps Develop Wind Turbine Builders in America’s Heartland

Article originally published by the Department of Energy

For Angela Wilkins, the growth of US clean energy manufacturing has afforded her a secure job with good pay, great benefits, and nice people to work with. As a lead rotor winder for Ingeteam, Wilkins is part of a production line that manufactures wind turbine generators. The grandmother of two is also a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2150, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “It’s been a good experience working at Ingeteam, and it really benefited us a lot bringing the union into our company,” she said. “My job is more secure and I’m making better money, which makes taking care of my family easier. I have a nice house in a nice area.”

Ingeteam, a Spanish manufacturer of power electronics and control systems, opened a LEED Gold-certified manufacturing facility on a former brownfield site in Milwaukee in 2011. Since then, Ingeteam has produced about 4000 solar and energy storage inverters for the US market. Recently, the company began developing the capacity to manufacture electric vehicle charging stations.

In 2018, Ingeteam organized with IBEW, which represents about 50 production line employees like Wilkins. “IBEW has a code of excellence that instills in members a focus on quality,” said Ingeteam human resources manager Garan Chivinski. “Our clients are paying more for American-made generators and expect high quality, so partnering with IBEW has been beneficial to our company and our employees.”

IBEW is dedicated to improving its members’ lives while also supporting the businesses that employ them. “We take pride in our strong relationship with Ingeteam,” said Mike Bruening, assistant business manager for IBEW Local 2150.

Union Partnership Helps Ingeteam Fill Skills Gap

As part of this partnership, IBEW is also helping solve a hiring challenge for Ingeteam by developing an apprenticeship program through the Milwaukee Area Technical College. The program will train current and future Ingeteam employees to perform wind turbine generator repairs, which require diagnostic skills that are not used in manufacturing. “For 10 years, we’ve been building wind generators in the United States and now those are coming back for repairs. I need more repair folks, but the amount of time, skill, expertise, and confidence that go into that job can’t be achieved overnight,” said Chivinski. “Our apprenticeship program is going to help bridge that gap.”

Building and construction trade unions often sponsor apprenticeship programs with their employer partners to develop a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting current industry needs, as well as to prepare for technological and other future changes. Labor-management partnerships also support hiring, with unionized employers reporting significantly less difficulty finding qualified workers than non-union employers, according to the 2024 United States Energy & Employment Report. For these reasons, the Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes the use of apprenticeships by offering a larger tax credit for clean energy projects that employ registered apprentices.

“I don’t have the experience or resources to develop an apprenticeship program like this, but our IBEW business partner Mike Bruening had the connections and knowledge to make it happen,” said Chivinski.

Ingeteam plans to further develop the program by working with Milwaukee Job Corps on work-study and pre-apprenticeship programs that will prepare high school participants to go directly into Ingeteam’s apprenticeship program.

Clean Energy Delivers Surprising Benefits

Thanks to Ingeteam’s leadership in clean energy product manufacturing and its IBEW partnership, company employees had the opportunity to meet President Biden when he visited Ingeteam’s Milwaukee manufacturing facility in August 2023 to promote the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act.

“To have President Biden tell our employees they are the best in the world—what an incredible thing to give to folks in manufacturing positions,” said Chivinski.

Wilkins was in the audience that day. “Meeting the president was kind of awesome. I got to shake his hand,” said Wilkins. “His visit was a nice way to get the word out about what we do.”

Beyond presidential visits, Wilkins said she appreciates working in the clean energy sector. “I never thought about energy or saving the planet until I started working here,” Wilkins said. “Now when I see wind turbines, I can say, ‘Hey I built a generator for those!’ I can tell people what they do and why they’re such a big deal nowadays.”