WHEELING - Those looking for jobs in the oil and natural gas industries need not wait for Royal Dutch Shell, Aither Chemicals or some other company to build an ethane cracker in the Upper Ohio Valley.
"They are going to need mechanics to work on trucks, welders, pipefitters and other jobs," said R. Dennis Xander, vice president of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia. "And this doesn't even count all the related jobs that will be created in all of the full restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, etc."
Recent newspaper ads seeking electricians, operations supervisors, truck drivers, production operators, pipefitters and more show that Xander is correct. These jobs are being offered locally by companies like Dominion Resources, North American Gas & Oil Field Services, C&D Production Specialists Co. and Spectra Energy and feature salaries up to $19.73 per hour, plus benefits.
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Photo by Casey Junkins
Cameron resident Robert Howard, a welding student at the Ironworkers Local 549 in Wheeling, demonstrates a welding technique.
Xander also said the Wheeling area - with its location right along the Ohio River between the Marcellus Shale of West Virginia and Pennsylvania and the Utica Shale in Ohio - could be the epicenter of drilling-related economic development. Evidence of this comes as companies like Chesapeake Energy move the focus of their operations from eastern Pennsylvania's "dry" methane-dominated gas fields to the "wet" gas areas of Ohio and West Virginia's Northern Panhandle.
"Over the next five years, most of the action is going to center around Wheeling. It is going to be all about the liquids," he said of the ethane, propane, butane and pentane found alongside the methane in the wet gas. "People are going to keep drilling, even with the lower prices for natural gas, because of the liquids."
As job opportunities become more plentiful, West Virginia Northern Community College is doing its part to help those looking to enter the oil and gas industry gain the skills they need. The college begins its second rig hand training class at the New Martinsville campus Monday.
WVNCC held its first training session for those looking to get a rig pass for entry-level jobs at gas drilling sites in December. Topics covered during the class included general safety, first aid, CPR, some basic knowledge of the actual drilling process and career opportunities in the field.
"The first class was very successful, and at least one-third of the class have informed us they have been offered jobs," said J. Michael Koon, vice president of economic and work force development at the college. "Although we try to follow up with completers, many don't respond so we're not sure where everyone is in the search for employment."
Matt Wyatt, an instructor at Pierpont Community and Technical College in Fairmont, W.Va., made the trip to New Martinsville to teach the first session. He said those completing the course would receive an International Association of Drilling Contractors rig pass that allows them to gain entry-level employment at a drilling site. Every student enrolled in the course also submitted a drug test result, Wyatt said.
Following three days of classroom instruction, Wyatt said the students went to a Chesapeake Energy drilling site in Marshall County to study.
"The safety skills participants obtain through the rig pass certification help make them more employable because safety is such a focus for the gas industry," Koon added. "We continue to work with the gas companies to identify skill sets needed for employees. Right now, drilling is the principal activity so that's why we're offering these classes for roustabout-type positions."
Koon and New Martinsville Campus Dean Larry Tackett said the college plans to offer welding classes at some point in the future. Though the college looks forward to teaching welding, Wheeling-based Ironworkers Local 549 also instructs students in this craft. Keith Hughes, business manager at the union center, said graduates of the training program have been hired to work at the Caiman Energy and MarkWest Energy natural gas processing plants in Marshall County.