High school courses that will lead to careers in gas industry being implemented locally

BY JAMES LOEWENSTEIN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: May 6, 2010

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Next year, students at the Northern Tier Career Center in North Towanda Township and at Sullivan County High School will be able to take college-level courses that will help prepare them for careers in the growing local natural gas industry, according to officials from the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $294,689 grant to the Pennsylvania College of Technology to educate and train high school and college students for careers in the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry, according to officials from the college and a press release issued this week by U.S. Rep. Chris Carney's office.

The college will use much of the money to develop and implement college-level courses that will be offered at high schools in Bradford, Sullivan and other counties to provide training that will be useful in jobs in the natural gas extraction industry, said Jenette Carter, Pennsylvania College of Technology's director of outreach for K-12.

Students who successfully complete the courses will receive college credit for the course from the Pennsylvania College of Technology, she said.

"These students will be able to take courses in high school and start college with some credits under their belts," said Larry Michael, the executive director for workforce and economic development at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. "The program provides educational pathways for high school students to make a smoother transition and have a leg up for careers in development of the Marcellus Shale."

"The Marcellus Shale formation represents a tremendous opportunity for job growth in clean energy technology," Carney said. "This grant from the National Science Foundation will help the residents of our region cultivate the skills necessary to work at the forefront of the industry, and on one of the most significant natural resource reservoirs in the nation."

The high school courses will benefit students from 23 school districts in central and northern Pennsylvania, according to the press release from Carney's office.

The high school courses for which college credit will be granted are technical or vo-tech courses in areas such as welding, electronics, diesel technology, heavy equipment operation and repair, forestry, and information technology (networking), Carter said.

The courses will help prepare students for jobs such as natural gas well operator and compressor station operator, said Jeff Lorson, director of workforce training at the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Next year, the Northern Tier Career Center will offer two welding courses for which college credit will be granted by the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Carter said.

Eventually, there will be six different welding courses at the Northern Tier Career Center which will lead to jobs in the gas industry and for which the Pennsylvania College of Technology will grant college credit, Carter said.

Currently, there are two information technology courses offered at Sullivan County High School for which Pennsylvania College of Technology grants college credit, and the grant will allow the school to continue to offer those courses, she said.

Some of the grant money will be used to modify and add courses at the college's campuses in Williamsport and Wellsboro to meet the needs of the Marcellus Shale gas industry, she said.

The National Science Foundation expects to award the college two more grants - each just under $300,000 - which will allow the college to continue the development of the high school courses that will lead to careers in the natural gas industry and continue to modify its curriculum and make upgrades to meet the needs of the gas industry, according to officials from the college and the press release.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.

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3 posted comments

GoAwayGas! Gives his/her concerns, but does not give a tangible solution. I agree that there may be a problem, but that comment is only a rant, not an answer. If there is a "real education" to be gotten, and if there really are "those wh truly can and want to build a better world" let's identify them. Where can this education be received? Who are these noble people? Give us a real answer. It may be that you honestly have an answer; I do not dispute that, I only say that you told us what is wrong without telling us how to make it right.
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Consumer,  05/11/10 2:02
Sure - train the kids to work in the industry that is is destroying our water, ruining our land and disrupting our communities in order to extract gas that will be sold to Canada and then be all gone in less than 20 years, leaving the destruction behind. But hey, everyone has to make a buck. Let's be sure not to train them to work in the installation and development of alternative energy systems, or energy conservation / optimization technology -- since that is where the real future is and real money will be and the gas companies sure don't want that to happen any time soon.

Hey kids/young adults -- don't forget it is the same adults who set up this decaying, destructive system that want you to now play by their rules and use your backs and brains to feed money into the pockets of the few at the top of the big energy machine. You'll never be anything but a dog on a chain in those jobs, for the short time they last. Get a real life - and a real education and work with those who truly can and want to build a better world. Don't give away your life to this destruction or you'll wake up one day just like those who are telling to follow this course.

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GoAwayGas!,  05/06/10 10:33
This is a very good idea. The only issu I have with the hiring of local peole is that those over 50 are forgotten. They are not even considered no matter what their experience.
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Robin,  05/06/10 9:32