At the time of LTC?s application we were home to a small / mid-sized Wind Energy Research and Teaching Center, funded in part by We Energies, and offered the state of Wisconsin?s first Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree in Wind Energy Technology. With President Obama promising investment in wind, LTC and its partners were uniquely situated to meet the challenge through an organized career pathways approach that utilized industry drivers and occupationally verified curriculum to train the workers who ?transform our energy sector.? LTC?s employer partners validated the findings of the ?20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply? report by the US Department of Energy which recognized programs like LTC?s as an ?excellent beginning,? noting that many more like them are necessary to meet the challenges of the 20% Wind scenario.One of the focuses of the study was the lack of trained technicians to work on installation and maintenance of renewables (and more specifically for our grant application wind turbines). LTC?s goal, made possible with the funding provided in this grant, was to increase the number of skilled graduates to help meet this national objective. LTC was already a leader in wind for the state of Wisconsin but wanted to upscale from a single school to a statewide (and potentially regional) center for wind energy. LTC planned to leverage our facilities, curriculum, and faculty expertise to meet this goal.