ShaleDirectories, LLC.: A Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) Blessing

Sunday, May 13, 2018

A Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) Blessing

Alice M. Davis. Ph.D.
Executive Director, SCCTC

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An outstandingly successful and career and technology program in Susquehanna County (SCCTC) receives a blessing from Marcellus Shale development in the area.

Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale was a blessing when it’s natural gas reserves were discovered over a decade ago and 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 benefitting 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, Just to name a few.

Thanks to partnerships with local natural gas companies in the region like Cabot Oil & Gas, our welding students recently got to work on a project for the company where they built a plunger lilt training unit for the company. Projects like these help to teach the students about other 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 provide to students and the local community. SCCTC is providing a growing, professionally trained, homegrown workforce to an industry that will be here for decades lo come. In fact, last year our welding program had two students pass their API test for pipe welding.

One student went on to to work as a pipeline welder for Linde Corporation and the other was accepted in the boilermakers union. Both of these opportunities are typically rare for an 18 or 19 year old especially since 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 Northern Tier Pennsylvania residents and Americans across the country.