FAIRMONT, W. Va.– New doors are being opened for West Virginians in the oil and gas industry with the establishment of the Appalachian Petroleum Technology Training Center in Fairmont.
“It’s a training center that will be offering upgrade training, a one year certificate and a two year associates,” said West Virginia Community and Technical College System Chancellor Jim Skidmore.
The center will focus on delivering a Certificate of Applied Science in Petroleum Technology, an Associate of Applied Science in Petroleum Technology, and specific customized training programs to address the oil and gas industry’s work force training demands.
The training will be available through joint programs offered by Pierpont Community and Technical College (Pierpont CTC) and West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC). Both campuses will be equipped with indoor drilling simulators, but the Center will have a key feature unlike the other facilities.
“Located in Fairmont will be an outdoor simulated drill site that will give students hands-on training on what will actually occur out in the field with oil and gas companies,” said Skidmore.
Both Pierpont CTC and WVNCC students will receive training at the outdoor site in Fairmont during the program.
Skidmore said the Center will do two things.
“The primary focus of this program is to give West Virginians the skills so that they can move into these high paying jobs and at the same time give the oil and gas companies a skilled workforce,” he said.
Pierpont CTC and WVNCC are currently accepting applications for the training programs. Skidmore said he sees a bright future for this industry.
“We think that these jobs will be here for a long time and that this program will be very beneficial to letting West Virginians get those jobs for a long period of time to come,” said Skidmore.
Classes are scheduled to begin in August with the first students graduating from the program in May 2014.