BISMARCK, N.D.

With wind turbine towers popping up on the U.S. landscape at a rate of almost 10 per day, the need for people to maintain and repair them is reaching the critical point.

Community colleges in North Dakota and other states are jumping at the chance to help fill that need and develop a niche for themselves at the same time through wind tech programs.

``The demand (for wind techs) is such that some (colleges) have been trying to keep companies away from the program because they want everybody to graduate first,'' said Christine Real de Azua, a spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association. ``In some cases, students are being picked up after only a couple of months.''

Last year, 3,200 new wind turbines were installed across the nation as power companies responded to the push for more green energy. It brought the total number of towers with wind-catching blades to more than 25,000, the association said.

The structures vary in size and energy output, but Azua said a general rule of thumb is that a two-person operation and maintenance team is needed for every 10 turbines.

``You're looking at several hundred jobs in just one year,'' she said. ``These people need to come with training.''

Iowa Lakes Community College, a five-campus school based in Estherville, Iowa, started a wind tech training program after Al Zeitz was hired away from General Electric Co. to provide expertise for a wind turbine to help the college reduce energy costs.

``The natural question was, 'Is there anybody doing any training?''' Zeitz said.

The program he started by himself now has a five-member staff. With financial help from the industry, it has grown from two classrooms and a restroom to six classrooms, several offices and a storage facility. The first year, there were 15 students. In the fall this year, there might be as many as 90, taking classes in everything from electrical fundamentals and hydraulic systems to computer networking.