Ecotech Institute's Renewable Energy Labs Prepare Tomorrow's Green Workforce For Success

Ecotech Institute announces array of new laboratory equipment for renewable energy education. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) July 14, 2011 - Denver, Colorado - Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on preparing America's workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design, today announced that it has installed an array of new laboratory equipment, further positioning the school as the premiere destination for renewable energy education.

Ecotech now has seven computer labs, nine clean energy labs and 11 lecture classrooms, including labs that focus on electricity, electronics, solar, wind and safety, as well as one outdoor solar residence lab. All labs offer progressive equipment to facilitate practical learning of basic and advanced electronics, the fundamentals and applications of wind and solar power generation and safety skills. Electricity, electronics, power, solar and hydraulics labs contain Lab-Volt® systems.

"We have invested heavily in the best equipment to ensure that our students learn on similar technology to what they will be using after graduation," said Mike Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. "We intentionally waited to buy and install this last round of equipment until our students were ready for that level of curriculum and we are pleased to announce that we've met that milestone."

Some highlights of Ecotech's labs include:

• Students studying wind technology are now taking courses in the wind safety lab, which includes a 25-foot climbing/safety training tower so students can use the actual harnesses that they would use to go up and down a real wind turbine. This helps simulate a significant element of a career as a wind or solar technician. The wind program lab equipment also includes a Lab-Volt® nacelle/pitch system, variable frequency drive and cranes and rigging trainers.

• Many classes are utilizing top-notch computer simulation software, in which students can engage in activities in multi-dimensional formats.

• A PLC (programmable logic controller) lab, which teaches students the most important fundamentals of manufacturing.

• Five brand new Lab-Volt® indoor/outdoor moveable solar / wind energy training systems.

• Other lab features include integrated circuit boards, a variety of motors, high voltage education and safety programs, programming software, controlling systems, hands-on wiring, electricity education through a variety of modalities, and much more.

Ecotech Institute's new campus opened in January 2011 and was built with sustainability in mind. It boasts eight small wind turbines, a Vertical Axis wind turbine, 12 polycrystalline rooftop photovoltaic solar panels, two solar trees and much more. In the lobby, Ecotech boasts a cutting-edge dashboard that measures to-the-minute energy savings and aims to garner about 8-10 percent of its energy usage from on-site generation. Learn more about Ecotech's sustainable energy campus at http://www.ecotechinstitute.com/ecotech-location.cfm.

Ecotech Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, launched in Aurora, Colorado in April 2010 with seven highly practical degree programs and one certificate program that provide graduates with skills valued by today's alternative renewable energy employers.

To learn more about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com. The next round of classes begins this fall and applications are being accepted now. Financial assistance is available.

About Ecotech Institute
Ecotech Institute is the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America's workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design. Launched in April 2010 in Denver, Colorado, the college offers seven associate's degrees and a certificate program designed by experts in the industry for people seeking careers in the emerging cleantech economy. Ecotech Institute is a division of Education Corporation of America. For more information about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com.

About Education Corporation of America
Education Corporation of America is a leader in the post-secondary career school market with current enrollment of nearly 19,000 students. The ECA website is www.ecacolleges.com. In addition to Ecotech Institute, ECA schools include Virginia College, founded in 1983, a private institution of higher education that offers non-degree and associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs in the areas of Health and Medical, Business, Information Technology, Interior Design, Computer Design, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Nursing and more in eighteen different cities. Virginia College campuses are located in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama; Jacksonville and Pensacola, Florida; Augusta, Macon and Savannah, Georgia; Biloxi and Jackson, Mississippi; Charleston, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Greenville, South Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Richmond, Virginia; and Austin, Texas. The Virginia College website is www.vc.edu.

Virginia College also offers classes worldwide via the Internet, with student services and admissions facilities in Birmingham, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida. Information about online classes at Virginia College is available at www.vconline.edu. Additionally, ECA operates Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, with locations in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Richmond, Virginia; and Jacksonville, Florida. The website is www.culinard.com. ECA also operates Golf Academy of America, with locations in Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego, California; Orlando, Florida; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Golf Academy website is www.golfacademy.edu.

Alicia Hassinger or Jenny Foust
CSG|PR
720.933.8119
ahassinger ( @ ) csg-pr dot com or jfoust ( @ ) csg-pr dot com

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