Knowing the drill
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In response to the groundswell of activity from the Barnett Shale natural gas play, at least one community college is gearing up to offer technical classes that are expected to meet the ever-increasing need for trained employees in the energy industry.
Starting this fall, North Central Texas College’s Oil & Gas Production Technology Program will offer courses leading to either a two-year associate’s degree or a one-year certificate of completion.
Even though North Central has campuses in Gainesville, Corinth and Bowie, the program will be offered initially at only the Bowie Campus.
The program is a four-way partnership between North Central Texas College, Complete Production Services, EnCana U.S.A. and Energy Service Company of Bowie.
The Barnett Shale is one of the largest natural gas fields in North America and the largest in the state of Texas, lying under 14 counties including Tarrant, Montague, Cooke, Johnson, Parker, Hood, Denton and Wise.
The total effect on business activity has resulted in an annual output of $5.1 billion and more than 55,000 permanent jobs, according to an impact study conducted by acclaimed economist Dr. Ray Perryman.
For example, in Cooke and Montague counties, the study showed that the Barnett Shale has pumped in real gross product gains exceeding $570 million. The study also showed that almost 4,800 jobs in Cooke County are linked to the Barnett Shale, along with almost 1,700 more in Montague County.
In recent months, according to Bowie Campus Dean Emily Klement, industry leaders approached college officials about a substantial need to increase the existing labor pool for oil and gas industry technicians, along with providing advanced training for workers already in the field.
For example, industry officials predict the need for 1,200 additional workers by 2013, plus at least 200 commercial drivers in the next five years.
“This specific training is driven by the industry,” Klement said. “That’s what community colleges do best. We were able to turn this opportunity into a positive response and we’re going to continue to move with the industry.”
Coursework includes a combination of core academic courses, which can be started before the fall, and highly specialized technical classes that focus on safety and efficiency, Klement said.
Students will enroll in classes like Overview of Petroleum Industry, Natural Gas Production and Oil Field Hydraulics to prepare them to step into the lucrative and demanding industry growing up around the Barnett Shale.
Program graduates can enter core jobs such as floor hands with no previous experience, earning starting salaries of $40,000, course literature promised.
“Our goal is to graduate 24 students each rotation,” Klement said, “but we intend to serve more students through continuing education courses funded by the industry, like computerized training, safety and OSHA and Spanish for the workplace.”
She said internships would also be available.
The program will be housed in a $1 million expansion of the Bowie campus, which will add a 6,500-square-foot training facility and upgrade and retool the current technical building, funded by contributions from the college’s industry partners.
The city of Bowie is also providing $600,000 from its 4A and 4B economic development funds, according to Bowie Economic Development Coordinator Susan Campbell said.
Eight years ago, Bowie residents approved a $2.1 million economic development sales tax to fund a previous expansion to the Bowie campus and the city is ready to step up again.
“There continues to be a need for a trained and educated workforce for Bowie and the surrounding area,” Campbell said. “We want to provide good paying jobs so people won’t have to leave Bowie or Montague County.”
EnCana Oil & Gas community relations advisor Deborah West said EnCana’s contribution to the Bowie campus expansion is $400,000, which will be appropriated over a two-year period.
“Future needs will be assessed as the program progresses,” she said.
West said EnCana officials also provided the Bowie campus with advice on how to set up the curriculum for the program.
“This way, we make sure students are trained the way we need them so they can go right into the immediate work force and don’t have to be retrained,” she said.
West said an aging population of natural gas industry workers is another consideration Bowie’s specialized training will address.
The average oil company employee is nearly 50 years old,” West said. “In the next decade, more than half of the industry’s employee base will retire.”
