Tower Training Academy’s Renewable Apprenticeships

Nick Martocci, founder of Tower Training Academy, discusses their
nationally recognized apprenticeship programs for wind turbine
technicians and battery energy storage specialists. The company
focuses on creating partnerships and initiatives that support
career development and veterans' transition into the renewable
energy sector. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email
update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored
by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather
Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the
show
on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit
Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes'
YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the
show? Email us! Allen Hall: As renewable energy technology
gets more complex and specialized every day, the industry needs
skilled professionals ready to climb those towers and maintain
critical systems. This week we speak with Nick Martocci founder of
Tower Training Academy in Las Vegas. Tower Training Academy offers
nationally recognized apprenticeship programs for both wind turbine
technicians and battery energy storage specialists, helping
everyone from recent high school graduates to career changers
develop essential skills and certifications, while providing
lifelong career support. Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light
on Wind Energy's brightest innovators. This is the Progress
Powering tomorrow. So we were just talking, it's been a year since
we've spoken to you and I follow your Tower Training Academy
YouTube page, LinkedIn page. I think you're on Instagram also. Nick
Martocci: Yep. Instagram. We got [00:01:00] Facebook. A lot of
social media. Uh, a lot has happened in the last time since we've
chatted. Uh, been able to send a few more apprentices through the
wind turbine program. Uh, I've been able to help out a lot of
veterans. We had one veteran actually come through my program, uh,
work with us vets to help veterans, uh, transition, uh, into the
renewable sector, if you will, and help them out also with
transferring them out of a bad situation. Uh, the veteran, he just.
Fell onto some harm times and, uh, no, no lie before he was with my
program, was actually living in his car and so he got with us vets
and uh, was able to get a little assistance from them. Also got
with Salvation Army, got some assistance from them and the US vets
actually pointed him towards my program. We were able to get him a
sponsorship and to this day it's changed his life and he's still,
even right now out in the field. Doing torque contention work.
[00:02:00] That's awesome. Allen Hall: That's a great story. And I,
on your LinkedIn page, I've noticed a couple of ribbing ribbon
cutting ceremonies with local dignitaries. Nick Martocci: Yeah, we
had a congresswoman Susie Lee, her office was very, very helpful
with getting, uh, some other help that we needed. Uh, moved along
with, uh, a few other pieces, but she was out there to help us, uh,
announce that we actually did become a, the first. Approved
apprenticeship for the Department of Labor that's active for our
battery energy storage apprenticeship program. And so now we have
both programs since last year. Uh, that was something that we had
to kind of keep hidden behind the green curtain, if you will. And
so I was working on that and now that's already up and running. Uh,
we had one apprenticeship approved before us a few years ago and
they haven't sent anybody through it and. At the end of this month.
Right now we're in March, so at the end of this month [00:03:00]
we'll have 10 coming through my program already. Joel Saxum: I
think that's super important for the industry right now where that,
that the renewables industry, because battery storage growing.
Right? I, I mean, I live in Austin, right? So it's just batteries
after batteries going into the Ercot market and there's a lack of
people, lack of technicians, lack of engineering expertise, to be
honest with you. Yeah. About how do we, how do we handle battery
storage systems from an o and m perspective. We know how to install
'em. Nick Martocci: Yeah. Joel Saxum: Or if, I guess if you ask the
insurance companies, they don't think we know how to install 'em
yet, but, but we know how to, we know how to get 'em out there. How
do we maintain 'em? It's awesome that you guys are doing this
because I don't know of any other real facility putting battery
storage o and m capable people. No. Nick Martocci: It, it, it was a
lot of grunt work, if you will, of putting everything together for
our standards. Uh, I, I used a lot of other handrail systems that
are out there as far as ideas. Uh, kind of like this Tony Stark
moment, if you will create a framework and just keep messing with
how this [00:04:00] works and integrate changes. Uh, a big piece
was to, and again, I wanna thank them, is a DO uh, a DO helped me
out with a lot of the standards. They do a lot of the training for
me. So that partnership there is, uh, a big piece that really helps
out the technicians themselves with the certifications because it
is accredited. Through is E. And so that allows them now not only
to have those skills and that training and certification, but also
allows for that forward progression in their careers. Because like
I said, it's accredited so they can take those credits and start
working on their degrees as well. So this is something that allows,
not just for that immediate, okay, let me get a career piece going.
But now also that forward thinking piece of actually what's the
next step for me as far as becoming a manager, getting my degree,
things of that nature. Anything that I put together with my
programs, there's always a what's next for that person. Just like I
was telling you guys about last year, the biggest thing that
bothers me is that what's next for me as a person in this industry
[00:05:00] with a lot of jobs, it's clock eight, clock out. Yeah.
Hope to see you tomorrow. Yeah, I, that's why I have IFC there to
be able to help out with that progression. And now I'd love to
announce also that they're now a 5 0 1 C3. They're a nonprofit. And
all of the donations go and we've partnered with PBS, uh, or
partnering, working, um, with PBS to be able to offer PMP and CMP
certifications. So that program management, project management
certification. Joel Saxum: Yeah. Okay. So I know you were before
the i is it IFC Infinite Fidelis Nick Martocci: consultants? Joel
Saxum: That's what, it's the easiest Nick Martocci: way to say it
is IFC. Yeah. Joel Saxum: Because we were helping technicians not
only go through the training, get the skills, but then. Placing
them with, with people, placing them in companies, getting them
onto their first day at the job. And I know you were helping people
even build resumes and all kinds of great stuff to actually, you
know, take your fellow man and carry him along for some success. So
I like to see that now even, even with that, the [00:06:00]
addition of the idea of putting PMP uh, training into people. Now
they can become project management professionals and kind of, I'm
not, I'm not just, I'm not, I'm not a technician anymore. Now I'm
upskilling. Now I can get to this next level. That's, that's
awesome. Nick Martocci: Because the big piece is the development of
the workforce. They've gotta be able to, one, be empowered with
their knowledge, make sure those standards are understood. One,
also for their safety, but two for their personal and professional
development, Allen Hall: because they're not gonna be a technician
forever and they need to on move on to next. You can only clean
towers for so many years, right? That's right. Right. Yeah. You
work on batteries. Yeah. For so long now, tower Training Academy is
in Las Vegas, and that's a. Becoming more of an energy resource
area is a lot of projects surrounding Las Vegas, not necessarily in
Las Vegas. Where are the technicians, the future technicians coming
from to train at your facility? Nick Martocci: So I've had folks
come from all over the USAI. I've had folks from Maine, from
Massachusetts, from Utah, [00:07:00] Arizona, California, all
coming Texas, Oklahoma, uh, because my apprenticeships are national
apprenticeships. My reach is the entire US right now, and I know
this is a military term, but lower 48. Um, but so far lower 48 is
really what I've seen the most engagement with. And so I've also
worked on getting on a lot of workforce programs for, with the
states, uh, also known as ETPL, uh, which is, uh, a, a eligible
training provider, which means that OLA funds federal funds will be
there to help assist individuals to be able to pay for the training
as well. I. And so paying for the training is another big piece.
Uh, some companies will sponsor individuals, others will have to
have an individual basically take care of the bills themselves, if
you will. So having those wheel of funds and other funding grants,
things of that nature, teaming up with IFC, infinite Fidelis
Consulting, having them be able to help fund through donations,
training and certifications for [00:08:00] people is a big, big
piece. Wow. Allen Hall: Okay. 'cause usually when we talk to
training facilities. The people that are attending are within
probably 60 to a hundred miles Yeah. Of that facility. Yeah. Yeah.
There's not a lot of draw outside, which in my neck of the woods in
Massachusetts right now, there's not a lot of places to go. So
you're gonna travel somewhere? Yeah, right. Why not travel to
Vegas? It makes a lot more sense, especially since you have a
program set up to accept people like that and makes it a lot more
accessible. To the general Nick Martocci: population? Well, the big
piece, I mean, Al also, and I get, and I've spoken with a lot of
folks, uh, the, there is a concern with negative, uh,