(Raleigh, N.C.) Gemini Energy Services, a division of Orion International, has been awarded a $200,000 Workforce Development grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, to create a tailored training curriculum for military veterans that will translate their military skill set into a Technical career within the Wind Industry. Orion International has committed an additional $154,000 to the grant award for training, tools and equipment costs, and will oversee the continuation of the program once the grant funding has been exhausted.

“Veterans are ideally suited for the Wind Industry due to their leadership experience, technical skill, and proven performance under the most difficult of situations, and yet a lack of wind-specific training can present a barrier to entry,” said Mike Starich, President of Orion International. “We are pleased to have been awarded this grant by the DOE, which will allow us to develop an industry leading military-specific training curriculum to eliminate this barrier.”

The program will create an intensive multi-phase training curriculum, combining OSHA, industry-specific, and OEM training segments, as well as on-the-job practical work experience. Participants will be hired as employees of Gemini Energy Services, and will be supplied with all tools and equipment necessary to begin their career as Wind Technicians.

Upon program completion, the Veterans will be fully trained and qualified Wind Technicians, with immediate career opportunities within the Wind Industry. They will have the option to continue their employment with Gemini Energy Services as contract service technicians, or use Orion’s military career placement services to seek permanent employment within the Wind Industry.

According to James Haley, Director of Operations for Gemini Energy Services, “We are thrilled with the opportunity to create a world-class training and employment program for Veterans in the Wind Industry, at no cost to them. It is an added bonus that we will not merely be training these Veterans, but will provide career placement as well, in turn increasing the level of expertise and professionalism within the Wind Industry as a whole.

Orion ICS, LLC, founded in 1991, is the nation’s largest military recruiting and consulting firm, specializing in placing military veterans into the civilian workforce. Orion has placed more than 450 Military Technicians, Noncommissioned Officers and Officers into the Wind Industry, into Operations, Technical, Managerial and Engineering positions. For more information about Orion, please visit www.orioninternational.com.

Gemini Energy Services, a division of Orion International, is a full-service Operations and Maintenance provider to the Wind Industry. Gemini’s traveling teams of former military technicians perform O&M, commissioning, inspections, and warranty and retrofit services at client sites throughout North America. For more information on Gemini Energy Services, please visit www.geminienergyservices.com.