Career Guide to Regional Oil and Gas Training Programs Introducing ShaleNET: Dr. Kohut: Well, I am Dr. Byron Kohut. I am the Western Hub Director for Marcellus ShaleNET at Westmoreland County Community College. And, I oversee the implementation of the Marcellus ShaleNET grant.
Entry Level Occupation Training
Dr. Byron Kohut interview
Stan Richardson: And, what is ShaleNET?
Dr. Kohut: ShaleNET is a 4.96 million dollar United States Department of Labor Education and Training Administration community based job training grant, aimed at providing job placement assistance, job awareness, career exploration and training for individuals interested in entry level positions in the natural gas industry. Stan Richardson: And how does the ShaleNET program, how is it being used to assist workers and then Veterans?
Dr. Kohut: Well, ShaleNET provides an industry overview into natural gas, specifically, Marcellus in Pennsylvania, but also Utica. Any jobs that you can find in natural gas, ShaleNET provides the access to that information. Provide an industry overview, realistic job previews of several different field operation positions in natural gas. People access our ShaleNET site. They learn about, it’s about a two hour education on-line, they register, they go through the industry overview, the realistic job previews; and then they either explore jobs through our partner sites, the Pennsylvania workforce development system, the Ohio workforce development system, Western Virginia and New York. So, each state has a workforce system that they can register for services and jobs, and training. For the veterans we provide cohort classes, so we will put together ShaleNET class just for veterans. In the past we’ve worked with the National Guard mostly. The Army Reserve has now learned about our program. I attend workshops; I serve on an advisory board for recruiting for the Army Reserve. And, everyone of our classes we require at least 10% of our students to be veterans, and for the most part we average between 4 and 7 veterans for our classes. Stan Richardson: Why such an emphasis on veterans?
Dr. Kohut: Well it answers the question of how do we support the veterans, the Department of Labor encourages all grant participants to work with veterans, work with the veterans leadership program, the V.A., and we know through our experience with the industry that the veteran is an ideal candidate for employment in natural gas.
Dr. Kohut: The veteran is an ideal candidate for employment in natural gas; work hard, long hours, leadership, follow, safety regulation - they’re gone away from home for some time. So they have the experience and the work ethic that the industry is really looking for, and so far we’ve been very successful with our veteran graduates. But, also with the veterans who just come for career awareness and exploration, and finding them jobs has been pretty easy to say the least.
going on deployment; it might have been his fourth deployment in twenty years. Well, we knew that taking him into class, but we also know that the industry looks favorably upon people who do have the deployments. They work with them closely. We match them up with Halliburton, which is a global company. Halliburton hired him immediately. I believe he is working as a mechanic for them, and I’m not sure exactly what job it is, but Major Lavelli talked about the fact that he did go on deployment about 8 or 9 months after he took the job. Halliburton is fully aware of that and they’re waiting for him to return. So, they hired him knowing that he was going on deployment.
Stan Richardson: How do H.R. people respond to being introduced to a veteran who’s gone through your program? What’s their reaction? Or at least what are some of the results in the way that Stan Richardson: Do you see a need they’ve responded? for companies that are operated within Dr. Kohut: Well, they want to know the oil and gas space to learn from the what’s their military occupation is first experiences of other companies in dealing of all, and their immediately thinking with veterans like Halliburtons, is there how they can match that up. If there is any such thing as best practices? a truck driver in the military, then they know that there can be a CDL there. H.R. Dr. Kohut: I believe Chesapeake has responds great to our veteran, our veteran actually one of the better programs for candidates. Just last week we had a major hiring veterans, is it Chesapeake or, but event downtown Pittsburgh where we they’ve created an intake process and were invited to speak about ShaleNET hiring mechanism for veterans, other than it was with the Allegheny Conference. that I am not really sure. And I invited Major Guy Lavelli, he Stan Richardson: But, I guess my is a Major for the National Guard. He question is, is there something to be himself has participated in the program, learned from Halliburton’s experience? Is not as a candidate, but he came through there something that Halliburton can or the class with us. Soldiers, he helped me would share with in a forum, let’s say, with place soldiers into the program. And, he others participants and companies that spoke about a gentleman who got a job, kind of presents what they’ve done and right out of the class, and this gentleman succeeded with? went to our class. A four week roustabout program here in Youngwood, and he had Dr. Kohut: O yeah, they’ve presented at a mechanics background. He also was our quarterly hub meetings, both at Penn
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College and Technology and here, and their H.R. and recruiting specialist would present to our audience. You know, how they work with veterans, how they work with the hiring process, and those panels, they do learn from each other. But, I do find that those companies they do know each other very well, they participate in almost every job fair, across the region so, Stan Richardson: And, What about service providers, not service providers but veteran organizations, are they aware of what the industry might want from veterans? And, can the industry learn from a VLP for example?
Dr. Kohut: I think they’re both learning, my example is that I pretty much attend every veteran’s leadership program, job fair, returning soldiers, hiring soldiers, hiring our heroes event that I can. My partner David Pistner, at Penn College does the same. Everybody that works with ShaleNET has participated in the veterans program. Actually that’s how I started my work with the National Guard was at the yellow ribbons events. And, there was a big yellow ribbon event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. And, that’s where I met the Colonel Barrier, Colonel Gray Barrier, he over sees the Western Pennsylvania National Guard. And at the time Major North, which was one of his subordinates, we spent a couple of hours that day just talking about how we can get the soldiers involved. And, that’s how our cohort class grew and that’s how we’ve continued our relationship with them, finding jobs, putting students in the classes, so we attend every thing veterans we possibly can. Actually this is the first week that I have to., I am canceling on Thursday, because of a rig tour for the current students that we have today. But, there is veteran’s leadership program in Altoona on Thursday, and I might send my technician though so, there’s opportunity for her to be there.
Stan Richardson: What do you think a may go, that’s how they’re called. And, veteran needs to know to take advantage we have three training providers there to of the ShaleNET program? so, their task is to reach out to veterans groups and that would be the Stanley Dr. Kohut: You ought to know where Technical Institute, West Virginia the sight is, ShaleNET.org. Talk with Northern Community College, and their leadership. You know many of the Pierpont Community Technical College. leadership in Pennsylvania, military Part of their duties as ShaleNET training leadership, know about the ShaleNET providers is to reach out to the veterans, program now. We continue to work with place veterans in the program, and help the state leadership. My boss and you find veterans jobs. So, we started with know our partners, they work at the state that and then any guidance you have. level, at the national level, with different… with veterans groups, active and retired Stan Richardson: When you look at veterans. ShaleNET.org, just start looking outreach to veterans do you have a specific for natural gas jobs, I think most of the criteria, for example if someone is a senior, veterans groups that I’ve met are now a young person - I read where in North realizing that those jobs are here. I guess Dakota they are hiring a lot of seniors we could look to Texas and Okalahoma citizens to work, as roustabouts and other and see what their experience with positions like that and I say seniors citizens veterans has been, because they’ve been 55 years old 50-55. And which makes me going at it for twenty years down there. ancient, so, but if these are people in a Troops2roughnecks, that’s the group, population group that is being recruited there’s a website troops2roughnecks, and in North Dakota is this also, something, I think that, that Chesapeake site. And when you look at a veteran is there like, that might be the group, where you know I know you can’t discriminate in terms of that’s a model for veterans leadership or -- age or anything like that or even sex, but is veteran’s jobs. ShaleNET spans anybody there certain criteria or certain occupation from all walks of life can enter ShaleNET types, where you…..? but, you know just our outreach to the Dr. Kohut: Well, I don’t hire anybody, veterans is how we get them involved and so, to get into the training program you they’re learning. have to pass some basic assessments; Stan Richardson: Now you mentioned drugs, background and a physical. So, a West Virginia how would you connect disability…, you know if you can’t walk to let’s say Lt. Colonel Milton Berger in working on a drilling rig might not work West Virginia and what they’re doing for you, (exactly) so, we have a CDL down there, how would that work with program, but our four other programs are ShaleNET? very general labor, and labor intensive. So, it’s difficult if you can’t pass the general Dr. Kohut: Actually, I’ve been doing most physical. (So, you actually, when you meet of my military contact through Colonel a veteran, you assess their condition, Barrier, with the National Guard, it’s their physical condition and then do the army National Guard, he’s been a they go through a physical before they champion of our program since we’ve met. get into the ShaleNET program?) Did And I’ve reached through him, especially you say veteran? Or anyone? (Veteran through the Pennsylvania area, but West or just anyone, anyone, any worker) Yes, Virginia we reach out to the workforce Yes, we do a pre-occupational medicine development system, the state workforce, physical. So can you lift 80 pounds, blood West Virginia workforce, I think they pressure, basic family history. We’ve kind of adopted the general pre-occupational testing, because we know when you get a job as a floor hand, they’re going to put you through a days worth of physical. That means squatting for twenty minutes, that means picking 80 pounds up continuously for an hour. We know that they do go through some rigorous physical testing. The veterans we have worked with, they have yearly physicals. They have, you know, you have some criteria you have to meet as a soldier, basically on the daily basis. And, when you work with the veterans we do reach out to the majors and the leadership, and when we ask them to put your hands…, put your feelers out
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there and see if anybody wants to be a niche on that program, and we do rely upon them, they provide some physical background on them they, their work out schedule, their physical assessments, so we work closely with them when we’re putting students into the program. Stan Richardson: Do find that to be an advantage over having to do it yourself ?
starting to do produce, and education. State grants, workforce provides stipends basically for training. But, the curriculum is the most viable piece of this. There has not been a curriculum to address entrylevel natural gas work until now. Stan Richardson: What about Houston is there a school?
Dr. Kohut: We talk with Navarro Community College down there, they do associates degrees, so there’s a lot of, well, there’s not a lot of us I should say that again, but there is only a few associate’s degree programs for petroleum engineering or natural gas operations. What we’ve down here is we’re using ShaleNET to learn how to develop fast track. You know people don’t want to go to college. Stan Richardson: How do you account Fast track workforce programs get them for psychological issues? Cause, it is a into that , the curriculum has been built, pretty stressful situation, guys and par- that process is there, but Westmoreland ticularly talking military, people are away County Community College built an from home, post deployed troops might associates degree program. Based on want to have like a job as soon as possible, what we’ve learned from ShaleNET and because of family issues and things like another grant we received from the Trade that but maybe experiencing like pressures Adjustment and Assistance, the T-A-Aat home, how do you deal with that? C-C-C-T grant, TAACCT grant, we’ve Dr. Kohut: I guess as any other human developed 19 grant certificates that will being, you’re sitting in class with people stack on, all the way up to a bachelors. you tend to get to know them, you start Stan Richardson: Just tell me what your to realize what their strengths are and challenges in West Virginia in expanding what their weaknesses are and part of the program there. our class is to build that readiness and that awareness and to draw it out of them Dr. Kohut: Just getting it up and actually. Are they a team player, you know, running. We haven’t run a class in West are they aware of their surroundings, do Virginia yet but, our partners are good at they have the PTSD? I mean spending running programs. Pierpont Community forty days with an individual you do get Technical College has a gas program to know them, 30 to 40 days depending that they’ve been operating for a couple on our programs, and you know where a years now. We’ve done the training for person might be stronger, in what position the training providers. We’ve provided in the field. So, but you know in any class enough assistance that we think they need you do, we lose track of people here, some and we believe that they’ve scheduled people just disappear, phone numbers some classed to run. And, they’re working change or they get a job. So, I’d like to closely with their state workforce system think that by the end of the class…, we to register the students. The Mac system don’t have too many drop outs, you know, is the West Virginia workforce system. one or two and they’ve taken jobs, the And, so, we work closely with them. people who drop out are taking jobs. But, We’ve done some training. We do “go yeah, I’m no counselor, and but I am a to” meetings and training sessions for person. So, I do work with them closely. workforce professionals at the state level. The instructors are veteran instructors, so So they know what ShaleNET is, how they know also how to work with anybody it’s used. I’ve conducted onsite training who is having a concerning class. We in West Virginia. (How did that impact have a whole staff of folks that are in the the workforce in West Virginia? Having college, all colleges have…, anyone who is ShaleNET) We hope positively, (what do providing our training has a staff on duty they have in...) A good history of coal and that can handle any student related issues. energy, so they know what energy is about. (pause) And there are hard workers anywhere, we We always…, we’re going to pursue more just have to show them where the jobs grants. There is training grants from are and the companies that are working the Feds, Department of Labor, energy there. You know we visited some rig sites Dr. Kohut: O Yeah, Well, the one thing that the students are required to pay for when they get into our class, cause it’s free training, we ask that they provide for the physical, three assessments, the physical, the background check and the drug screen. So, when we work with the National Guard and the Army they provide the testing for us.
in West Virginia so we know they’re drilling away. (And bringing in a lot of people from outside the state; where the state wants local people working is that correct?) We all do right, but you know Pennsylvania has seen that for the last four years, the drillers your expert, so we’re not going to get drilling jobs right away. And, but any entry level jobs you just have to find your way in and its happening. So, In Pennsylvania it has occurred and its continuing to occur, all students in our class today will find jobs in that industry. Stan Richardson: Tell me about the, this phenomena or at least the agenda were states are trying to get and people in these communities, stakeholders are trying to get local people jobs.
Dr. Kohut: Well you know as we see in Pennsylvania the expertise comes with the rig, comes with the company, they hire entry level folks so that they can teach them, they can train them on their equipment, on their techniques. So, what we provide is that a ready person alright, we know when they get to a big company that does drilling, we know that they are going to be trained, they don’t want, energy doesn’t want us to train their people on how to drill the hole, they want us to teach them how to stay in a job, how to shop for time on a job, and then yes, slowly replace the Oklahomans and Texans and the people who are from outside of here. Those people want to go home. They want to work in the Gulf and Texas. But, if they don’t have three people within their company that can replace the senior three people, they can’t move on, so… (Does ShaleNET effectively build regional and local workforces?) Sure, like I said, its one month at a time. Every time one of our students is promoted within the industry that opens up another door for a local person and it also gives a senior Texan the opportunity to take a job back home or go back to Texas. So, that work, that career path is just beginning here. And those entry people are so important because nobody with the expertise can move on, so the experts are still working in the entry level positions because there is no one in those positions to take, to let them move on and that and that’s very important actually to this entire industry. Because most drilling rigs will only hire one new person at a time, you know safety and leadership comes into concern too, you can’t hire ten people because they won’t know what they’re doing on the rig, so you can only hire one or two new people at a time, that’s a time consuming process, right?. (So, are we done? (yeah) well I think we…..)
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