Tom Wojciechowski; Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development Educator; UW-Extension Ashland County Office
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Interviewee: Tom Wojciechowski
David Corsar: What is your role with the Extension office?
Tom Wojciechowski: My program area is Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development; most of my work is with Ashland County specifically, though I do partner with colleagues in other counties and sometimes provide assistance in other counties if they do not have a particular specialty represented. As an Educator, my primary areas of focus are community development, organizational development and leadership.
Currently the main thing I’m working on is comprehensive planning for counties and municipalities. Ashland County’s current comprehensive plan is nearing the end of its planning period, so we are in the process of reviewing and updating it. A big effort in this is to move community buildings to more renewable energies.
I’ve also been working quite a bit on broadband access. We have very variable levels of internet service in the county. I do some work with economic development, local economy, local foodstuff and whatever comes along in terms of the needs of the county. For example, most recently, I did a study on capacity of daycare facilities showing a lack of capacity.
For a project called 25x25, I worked with a team of 9 partners with the goal of getting to 25% of energy from renewable sources by 2025. In the current planning process, the county is now looking at the sources that were recommended in that report. The big hope was that solar would come down in price, and it has come down 80% since we wrote the report.
I’m also an Associate Professor with the UW Department of Community Resource Development.
DC: What would you say to students and young professionals interested in going into the renewable energy sector today? And what career opportunities do you see on the horizon?
TW: I think the field of renewables is finally going mainstream. It’s been around, and I’ve been on the edges of it for 30 years. Wind used to be a little too complicated for smaller entities. Solar is so simple to maintain and operate that I think it has the best potential for widespread usage. Universities around the country, in particular, are adopting these practices; there has been a great growth in sustainability coordinator positions at universities. Energy often falls under the responsibilities of those folks on campuses. And in counties or municipalities, Extension offices are often tapped for assistance in managing energy consumption.
For example, I know of agricultural extension agents working on biodigesters. One agricultural extension agent in this county has worked on growing fast-growing woody products trying to see if they could be cropped for feeding a wood-fired local utility. Other folks around the state are working on developing plasma or other types of biomass-to-energy systems. Of course, there are folks working on wind and solar and other technologies. Everyone is looking to save money on their utilities.
DC: What should students study? Are there particular credentials of relevance to employers?
TW: Of course, [students] really need to understand the science end of it. I really wish I had taken more physics since high school! They also might need some of the business end. Can they develop a business plan for an entity showing how you will save money in the long run? They might also benefit from grant-writing skills. There are incentives out there, but they take an application process to make it happen. For this type of position, you need to be a generalist with some specialized knowledge in certain areas.
A few of my colleagues have LEED certifications, which are useful, even if they aren’t mandatory. The Midwest Renewable Energy Association has some certification programs. They are one of the premier renewable energy nonprofits in the country – they have an annual fair that draws 15 to 20 thousand participants.
DC: How does hands-on experience, or experiential learning for students make a difference when hiring?
TW: It’s really beneficial to also get some sort of experience during college. One of my students when I was at Northland College studied energy usage across the campus. He worked on creating a baseline of usage, and there was a lot of data collection and analysis – a lot of spreadsheet work. 15 years later, he is the sustainability coordinator at Northland, and currently they are working towards a goal of net zero energy consumption. He’s working with consultants to help explore different scenarios for making that a reality.
DC: How might certification as NWF EcoLeaders make a difference to employers?
TW: I could see it as particularly valuable to universities looking for sustainability coordinators for campus-based projects.
In some recent workforce development studies, the biggest thing that seems to be lacking is soft skills: how to work with a group of people; how to lead a team; how to communicate. Employers are saying they’re finding those skills lacking.
I’ve seen this in a variety of workforce development studies; the most recent one was completed by UW-Superior in collaboration with a workforce development board in the region.
One of the challenges, if folks are looking at Extension careers, is that most of our jobs require a minimum of a master’s degree for our positions – the primary exception being nutrition education. We have a number of interns, and if they get interested in working with Extension, I ask them in what they plan to get a master’s degree. Some of my colleagues have business degrees – MBAs; some have JDs; some come through planning; some are through geography and GIS; and there are quite a variety of others. We also have a lot of colleagues that have been Peace Corps volunteers.
***
Click Here to Return to the Sustainable Energy Career Sector Overview
Interviewee: Tom Wojciechowski
Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development Educator
UW-Extension Ashland County Office
Interviewer: David Corsar, NWF
David Corsar: What is your role with the Extension office?
Tom Wojciechowski: My program area is Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development; most of my work is with Ashland County specifically, though I do partner with colleagues in other counties and sometimes provide assistance in other counties if they do not have a particular specialty represented. As an Educator, my primary areas of focus are community development, organizational development and leadership.
Currently the main thing I’m working on is comprehensive planning for counties and municipalities. Ashland County’s current comprehensive plan is nearing the end of its planning period, so we are in the process of reviewing and updating it. A big effort in this is to move community buildings to more renewable energies.
I’ve also been working quite a bit on broadband access. We have very variable levels of internet service in the county. I do some work with economic development, local economy, local foodstuff and whatever comes along in terms of the needs of the county. For example, most recently, I did a study on capacity of daycare facilities showing a lack of capacity.
For a project called 25x25, I worked with a team of 9 partners with the goal of getting to 25% of energy from renewable sources by 2025. In the current planning process, the county is now looking at the sources that were recommended in that report. The big hope was that solar would come down in price, and it has come down 80% since we wrote the report.
I’m also an Associate Professor with the UW Department of Community Resource Development.
DC: What would you say to students and young professionals interested in going into the renewable energy sector today? And what career opportunities do you see on the horizon?
TW: I think the field of renewables is finally going mainstream. It’s been around, and I’ve been on the edges of it for 30 years. Wind used to be a little too complicated for smaller entities. Solar is so simple to maintain and operate that I think it has the best potential for widespread usage. Universities around the country, in particular, are adopting these practices; there has been a great growth in sustainability coordinator positions at universities. Energy often falls under the responsibilities of those folks on campuses. And in counties or municipalities, Extension offices are often tapped for assistance in managing energy consumption.
For example, I know of agricultural extension agents working on biodigesters. One agricultural extension agent in this county has worked on growing fast-growing woody products trying to see if they could be cropped for feeding a wood-fired local utility. Other folks around the state are working on developing plasma or other types of biomass-to-energy systems. Of course, there are folks working on wind and solar and other technologies. Everyone is looking to save money on their utilities.
DC: What should students study? Are there particular credentials of relevance to employers?
TW: Of course, [students] really need to understand the science end of it. I really wish I had taken more physics since high school! They also might need some of the business end. Can they develop a business plan for an entity showing how you will save money in the long run? They might also benefit from grant-writing skills. There are incentives out there, but they take an application process to make it happen. For this type of position, you need to be a generalist with some specialized knowledge in certain areas.
A few of my colleagues have LEED certifications, which are useful, even if they aren’t mandatory. The Midwest Renewable Energy Association has some certification programs. They are one of the premier renewable energy nonprofits in the country – they have an annual fair that draws 15 to 20 thousand participants.
DC: How does hands-on experience, or experiential learning for students make a difference when hiring?
TW: It’s really beneficial to also get some sort of experience during college. One of my students when I was at Northland College studied energy usage across the campus. He worked on creating a baseline of usage, and there was a lot of data collection and analysis – a lot of spreadsheet work. 15 years later, he is the sustainability coordinator at Northland, and currently they are working towards a goal of net zero energy consumption. He’s working with consultants to help explore different scenarios for making that a reality.
DC: How might certification as NWF EcoLeaders make a difference to employers?
TW: I could see it as particularly valuable to universities looking for sustainability coordinators for campus-based projects.
[An EcoLeaders certification] wouldn’t be a standalone qualification, but it would be a great add-on. I think it’s a good idea to have the skills for project management; in particular, being able to bring people together is a great skill.
In some recent workforce development studies, the biggest thing that seems to be lacking is soft skills: how to work with a group of people; how to lead a team; how to communicate. Employers are saying they’re finding those skills lacking.
I’ve seen this in a variety of workforce development studies; the most recent one was completed by UW-Superior in collaboration with a workforce development board in the region.
One of the challenges, if folks are looking at Extension careers, is that most of our jobs require a minimum of a master’s degree for our positions – the primary exception being nutrition education. We have a number of interns, and if they get interested in working with Extension, I ask them in what they plan to get a master’s degree. Some of my colleagues have business degrees – MBAs; some have JDs; some come through planning; some are through geography and GIS; and there are quite a variety of others. We also have a lot of colleagues that have been Peace Corps volunteers.
***
Click Here to Return to the Sustainable Energy Career Sector Overview
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