At the first mention of a selfie station and prizes for best Tweets, approximately 100 students from Chartiers Valley, Moon Area, Montour and West Allegheny school districts perked up a bit at a career development program in Consol Energy’s new Gas Training Academy in Washington County.
The promise of a pizza luncheon didn’t hurt matters, either.
Before trying on coveralls and hard hats on May 6, the safety gear for those in the oil and gas industry, students posed for photos with friends. Then they were split into groups for lectures about natural gas development including safety, environmental concerns, careers, geology, drilling and production while receiving an inside look at careers in the field.
Pennsylvania’s vice president of operations, Andrea Passman, joined in on some of the pictures. The Alaska native told the visitors about her youth and the steps she took in becoming a petroleum engineer, including her studies at the Colorado School of Mines, offshore rigging in the Gulf of Mexico, misadventures in Venezuela, and travelling to about 30 countries.
Besides mathematical skills, knowing another language is always helpful, said Ms. Passman, who speaks French and is able to converse in Spanish. She said students may not need to attend college to join the industry, as many trade schools offer courses.
Montour student Alysa Miller, 16, of Robinson said her future plans include serving in the military before pursuing a career in gas or oil, where she says her father works in the pipeline portion of the industry.
One of the reasons the training center exists is because many school districts would like to be able to take their students on a “rig tour” of a working fracking site, but are unable to because regulations require visitors to be at least 18 years of age, said Michelle Buczkowski, manager of talent strategies.
“I’m excited to have a general idea of what I’ll be doing and what life will be like,” said Tyler Watts, 18, a Moon Area senior who plans to attend college at West Virginia University where he will major in petroleum engineering.
The academy in the one-time entrance to Coal Mine 384’s Hallam Portal in Amwell, which is south of Washington, Pa., also will be used for training employees and those from other companies in the industry. Engineers who join the company will be headquartered there for an 18-month period to learn about all aspects of trade.
Work on refurbishing the structure finished in mid-April and includes classrooms, on-site fire training facilities, offices, wall-to-wall whiteboards and video conferencing abilities. Consol will offer courses in compliance, safety and technical training there, and will make the site available for use by other energy firms to hold courses of their own or hazard training. This is designed to provide a “synergy between the companies,” Mrs. Buczkowski said.
Montour High School Principal Todd Price said his district was fortunate to be able to engage in this type of educational partnership affording students access to learning opportunities available to them in their own backyards.
Sonja Reis, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
Correction, posted May 15, 2015: Consol Energy’s Gas Training Academy is in Amwell. An earlier version contained an incorrect location.
First Published: May 15, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
