Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale was a blessing when its natural gas reserves were discovered more than a decade ago. We continue to reap its benefits today, from the local economic impact we see here in Susquehanna County to the cleaner air we’re experiencing as natural gas end use continues to overtake traditional fuels. Millions of Americans are benefiting from this resource every day, and the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) is no different.

The SCCTC works to train students in a wide range of careers, including cosmetology, automotive technology, massage therapy and welding technology. Thanks to a partnership with a local natural gas company, Cabot Oil & Gas, our welding students recently got to work on a project in which they built a plunger lift training unit for the company. Projects like these teach the students about career paths they might not have thought about pursuing after graduation.

Collaborations like the one with Cabot are a clear example of the benefit we extend to students and the community. The SCCTC is providing a growing, professionally trained, homegrown workforce to an industry that will be here for decades to come. In fact, last year, our welding program had two students pass their API test for pipe welding. One student went on to work as a pipeline welder for Linde, and the other was accepted into the boilermakers union. Both of these opportunities are rare for an 18- or 19-year-old, especially because pipeline welders on average make $80,000 a year.

Domestic natural gas development provides families with low-cost energy and high-paying jobs. Only by expanding natural gas access and use will we create more competitive jobs for residents of Pennsylvania’s northern tier and Americans across the country.

Dr. Alice Davis is executive director of the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center in Springville, Pennsylvania.

Alice Davis

Natural gas is making a difference for countless Pennsylvania residents. A mere 30 years ago, it seemed unfathomable for many of them to think they could have a high-paying, family-sustaining career in their home counties.

The Marcellus Shale bonanza has changed all that. Now, younger generations have access to opportunities their elders never did. The natural gas industry has made these chances possible by supporting education and job training, demonstrating a commitment to the communities in which it operates.

At the Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas (LCSPNG), we wouldn’t be able to provide natural gas job education and training without the generosity of Cabot Oil & Gas. The company recently fulfilled a $2.5 million endowment to our school, allowing us to train future natural gas workers.

Cabot isn’t the only company to have generously donated money, resources or time to LCSPNG. Williams, DTE Energy, Southwestern Energy and Ariel Corp. also have helped us to prepare future employees at the heart of the development of Marcellus and Utica Shale.

For our students, many of whom are nontraditional, the opportunities these companies have provided are nothing short of life-changing. Many of our students come from careers in which positions were seasonal. Upon graduation, they will be able to have a family-sustaining career in a growing industry. They are greatly appreciative of the opportunities the natural gas industry affords them.

Natural gas in Pennsylvania is here to stay, thanks to the abundant Marcellus supply. Because of this, the training we and other schools are providing will be here for decades to come.

Jeannine McKnight is director of the Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas. 

Jeannine McKnight