BOARDMAN, Ohio – Fifteen students will be hitting the books Monday to learn everything they can about oil and gas well operations in two weeks through an 80-hour course designed to qualify them to work on rig sites.
All 15 slots to be paid for through a federal training grant were filled, and means are being investigated to pay for additional students to participate in the shale-certification course, said Steve Barnett, chief operating officer with Retrain America.
“We’re really happy with the individuals that will be in the class,” Barnett remarked.
Tim Snodgrass also liked what he saw at Monday’s week’s information session for the two-week course.
Among the nearly 40 candidates for slots in the two-week shale certification class that begins next week, he identified individuals with experience operating heavy equipment, in construction, industrial electrical work, logic controllers, hydraulics and pneumatics.
“Those are all good things to have. Most people don’t fit into that category,” he remarked.
Snodgrass, assistant program manager with Energize Appalachian Ohio and business and industry liaison with Zane State College, and Barnett, conducted the information session for the shale training class that will prepare graduates of the program to work at rig sites. Zane State contracted with Retrain America to provide the training at its main and Cambridge campuses.
Zane State received a U.S. Department of Labor community-based grant to provide training. The grant will fund 15 students at $4,000 per student when the class begins next week at Metro campus of Youngstown State University.
“Basically, what we do is we take them through the entire operation of drilling a well, from the beginning to the end,” a huge and complex operation, Barnett said. “Our goal is once you get out of that class you have a pretty solid understanding of each different phase.
“Part of the reason we do it like that is there is so many different jobs you could get. To try to do training for each particular job you would have to have 30 different training programs and it would be very unwieldy,” he continued. “Our goal is to get these guys out there just having a firm understanding of what goes on to not only get them a job, but once they get into the job to be positioned well for rapid career advancement.” Well operators are looking for workers with “pretty much any kind of blue-collar skill,” he added.
Of the 140 workers at a well site, only six are needed just for “their back,” Snodgrass said.
“They need people that can use their mind,” he noted. “Even the guy that uses his back needs to know how to use his mind.” Representatives of Retrain America and Zane State met with applicants to assess their skills.
“What kind of people am I looking for? I’m looking for people that want to go to work and can bring something to the table, and that’s a wide selection,” he said.
Entry-level positions can pay $70,000 annually, Barnett told the students, and he knows of some workers who made $130,000 in their first year. That’s because workers are on site often put in 80 to 100 hours per week.
“The jobs are tough, really physical,” he said. “You’re going to go as long as you need to go.” There are also “constant” drug tests that analyze the subjects’ hair follicles. Travel is often involved with the jobs, making reliable transportation a must. Drilling companies typically provide residences or a per diem near the site.
Students who finish the two-week course will receive certifications including a credential of completion of EPIC OHIO/Retrain America Oil and Gas Exploration and six hours of college credit, an International Association of Drilling Contractors Rig Pass and WellCap certifications, and certification for Red Cross first aid.
With their training, graduates should be able to stop work at any well if they see a problem. “They’ll have that responsibility to they better know what they’re doing,” Snodgrass said.
Drilling is in the initial stage in Ohio, but a “boom” could come in the next six to 18 months, Snodgrass said. “Some people say sooner,” he continued. A “major producer” he spoke with last week has 11 wells producing in the state. The producer predicted he could have 140 by this time next year. While many workers could come in from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas, “a lot of people don’t want to move,” he said. “So there will be a lot of local openings.”
“You’re going to see a rapid ramp-up,” Barnett said. A recent economic analysis indicated drilling could directly create 10,400 jobs in the state by 2014, he said.
“We’re trying to start right before the curve,” he remarked.
Students accepted for training under the federal grant likely will be notified today if they weren’t notified yesterday. The class can take up to 25 students and Barnett said there are funding options for students who don’t receive the federal funds.
The information session drew Kat Comshaw-Arnold from Massillon.
“I think I bring a lot to the table,” she said. Her experience includes work in the construction field. “I like this kind of work and I need steady employment,” she offered.
Barnett is also working with state officials to identify more funds for future training. “We’re really just trying to lay the groundwork for future operations,” he said, “in addition to just getting these guys into the program and get them into jobs.”
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.