Next ShaleNET Gas Job Training Class To Begin

A three-week training class for people interested in landing jobs in the natural gas industry gets underway on Monday, Sept. 24. ShaleNet is designed to prepare workers for jobs on gas rigs. Sessions will be held at the Potter County Education Council (PCEC) office in Coudersport and the Career and Technical Center (formerly vo-tech) in Port Allegany. Energy companies are looking to fill jobs with local recruits, if they have the basic qualifications. “ShaleNet is a great program,” said Dan Weaver, a representative of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association. “Service companies want local people because of their connection to the land.”

“A person who has taken the initiative to become familiar with the 12 skill sets that are emphasized in the ShaleNet program is going to have an obvious advantage when it comes to landing a job with us,” said a spokesman for an active oil and gas field services company servicing northcentral Pennsylvania. Virtually all of the individuals who completed the initial local ShaleNet training course were offered jobs in the gas industry.

Curriculum is a combination of classroom and hands-on training. Topics include employability skills; basics of natural gas; rig components and electrical systems; hydraulics, pressures and forces; basic rigging; well production; basic well control; spill prevention and reporting; safety; driving; aerial work platform basics and rough-terrain forklift. Typically, those who join the gas industry in entry-level jobs are able to steadily progress to more responsible and higher-paying positions.

While a new session is opening, the organizers are also accepting applications for ShaleNET classes later this year. There is no tuition, but participants are responsible for pre-admission clearances, physical examinations, and drug testing. More details are available from Bob Veilleux at PCEC, telephone 814-545-1333.