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, including Heartland Community College in Normal, 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 technicians) 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 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. Currently, there are wind farms of various sizes operating or proposed in most Central Illinois counties.

The structures vary in size and energy output, but Azua said a general rule is that a two-person operation and maintenance team are 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 in 2004 after Al Zeitz was hired away from General Electric Co. He came in 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 now has a five-member staff. With financial help from the industry, it has grown from two classrooms to six, several offices and a storage facility. The first year, there were 15 students. This fall, there might be as many as 90, taking classes in everything from electrical fundamentals and hydraulic systems to computer networking.

Dwaine Higgins, who graduated from the Iowa Lakes program, said his future is bright. "The job outlook in the wind industry is virtually unlimited," he said.

Zeitz said it is not uncommon for students in his program to get three or four job offers apiece.

"Employers are coming to us saying, 'We want to hire 50 people this summer. We want to hire 100 people this summer," he said. "It's definitely a big challenge for the industry right now."

Zeitz said he knows other wind tech programs started by community colleges in Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico, Wyoming and Kansas, and said several other schools have expressed an interest in such a program.

At Heartland, leaders also have keyed in on wind energy. Though there isn't a specific program for wind energy technicians, courses that teach core concepts used in the field - such as mechanical and electrical maintenance - are in place, said Bob Shaw, who heads Heartland's technology division.

And as early as next fall, some advanced technology courses focused on renewable energy could be in place, he said.

The college also is among a consortium of Illinois community colleges putting together a grant to help develop renewable energy programs, said Allan Saaf, Heartland vice president of instruction.

Earlier this month, Heartland erected a 165-foot wind tower to collect a year's worth of measurable data of the wind speeds on its campus. The information will be submitted as part of a grant application to build a wind turbine, possibly two, on the northern edge of the Raab Road campus. "It would be a great option for providing energy for campus," spokeswoman Janet Hill-Getz said.

The American Association of Community Colleges doesn't know how many schools around the country have started wind tech programs, but they're a natural fit for the two-year schools, spokeswoman Norma Kent said.

"Typically, we're a bit more flexible in bringing on a new program," she said. "There's perhaps less bureaucracy. Community colleges are known for responding to current needs in their community, or current opportunities in their communities. If there's a need out there, they're probably going to be the first to recognize it."