Piedmont Tech & WV Northern Community College to Offer Associate Drilling Degrees
From Article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, May 30, 2013
FAIRMONT, WV – With the proper training, people can earn starting annual salaries ranging from $60,000-$100,000 for working in natural gas drilling fields.
Beginning in the fall semester inside its new building at the corner of 16th and Market streets in downtown Wheeling, the WV Northern Community College will offer both a two-year associate degree and a one-year certificate program in the field of petroleum technology.
The program is part of the Appalachian Petroleum Technology Training Center announced by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on Wednesday in Fairmont. WVNCC will partner with Pierpont Community and Technical College to develop the work force.
Helping to make the center possible is a $250,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, as well as $70,000 in grants from oil and natural gas companies.
“As the development of the Marcellus Shale continues to expand, this center will help our community and technical colleges meet the training demands of this growing sector,” said Martin J. Olshinsky, president of WVNCC.
A key component of the program will be the indoor drilling simulation laboratories, which both WVNCC and Pierpont will feature, in addition to classroom training. There will also be an outdoor drilling simulation station in Fairmont.
Officials said they formulated the program with input from natural gas producers such as Chesapeake Energy, Consol Energy, EQT Corp., HG Energy and Noble Energy; processing and transportation company Dominion Resources; and international oilfield services giant Schlumberger.
R. Dennis Xander, president of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, said “this is the most exciting time in my four decades in this industry” regarding the potential of Marcellus and Utica shale drilling.
Corky Demarco, executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, said, “Having more skilled workers will make West Virginia even more attractive to industries that operate in this highly competitive regional market.”
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