In the News

Education Council drives rural economic engine
The Derrick, Feb. 23, 2012

The Keystone Community Education Council continues its work in building a more competitive rural work force and a strong rural economy through its many programs.

It is one of eight community education councils in the state serving 13 rural counties.
KCEC covers Clarion, Venango, Crawford and Mercer counties.
The CECs — and Keystone CEC, in particular — have proven themselves to be essential in driving Pennsylvania’s rural economic engine. Acting as a facilitator/broker of employer-driven educational programs, KCEC has the unique ability to be fluid and provide needed educational programming.

KCEC prides itself on being a “Strategic Doer” in meeting the educational and training needs of the rural communities. Identifying and filling current needs as well as predicting future needs, the Keystone Community Education Council has been an integral partner in building a more competitive rural work force and strong rural economy. Through their collaborative efforts, they promote change and increase the skills of the local rural work force.

KCEC, in conjunction with Community College of Allegheny County and career and technical schools in its service area, coordinated the Technical Education Initiative to offer lower-cost community college technical programs in northwestern Pennsylvania. The challenge was in bringing the same affordable, quality technical education offered at the community colleges to the under-served rural areas without building a facility. Keystone accomplished this by using the career and technology centers as the “bricks and mortar” during the times that they are not regularly in use.

A basic electronics certification program was offered, as well as a welding technology certificate program and a basic machine certification program.

As part of the Technical Education Initiative, seven community college technical certificate programs were successfully concluded by using the local career and technical schools at times convenient for unemployed, under-employed and working learners.

Sixty-six students graduated and earned college credits and program certificates and 127 portable industry credentials were earned.

Students who were unemployed at the time of enrollment but are now employed are earning an average of $35,023 annually.

Foreseeing the importance of the Marcellus shale initiative, Keystone CEC began developing a strategic approach in 2009 to meeting the needs of the oil and gas industry in the communities of the Northwest Region.

Several events have been held in this endeavor including workshops, a Marcellus shale showcase for educational professionals, business-to-business connections and land owners and an oil and gas job fair.

Keystone CEC has talked with area school officials to promote curriculum needs in this area and also developed two new websites, www.nwpamarcellusshale.com and www.nwpaoilandgashub.com.

A Northwest PA Oil and Gas Hub task force was developed and expanded to include economic development, training facilities and chamber of commerce partners.

In June, Keystone CEC coordinated the Business2Business Forum, showcasing business opportunities with the oil and gas industry.

There have been thousands of individuals, as well as local businesses and oil and gas companies, who have participated in these events.

Other resources
Keystone CEC has additional resources available for businesses and community members. TrainingPa.com reinforces the Keystone Community Education’s position as a non-biased clearinghouse and referral resource for education providers. The website offers businesses and individuals a one-stop gateway to training and education opportunities in Northwest Pennsylvania.

The eLearning Center at Keystonecec.org offers the convenience of anywhere, anytime learning with more than 5,500 online work force training and continuing education courses. The eLearning Center provides self-study courses with open enrollment in nearly every subject imaginable.

The NWPA Oil and Gas Industry website offers a hub for oil and gas information. A monthly eNewsletter helps readers to stay informed about upcoming training/education opportunities and community events in the area.

The KCEC also has a training resource that is unique to this area — a portable laptop computer lab that can travel onsite to provide training in basic Windows applications, industry-specific skills, or provide access to computers for online training.

The Keystone Community Education Council in Mercer County is moving location from Mercer to the–

Training and Workforce Development Center
Linden Pointe
3050 Prosperity Place
Hermitage, Pennsylvania 16148

Jim DeGenova, Assistant Director of Keystone CEC, is in charge of the Mercer office.

Please take the Virtual Tour of the facility at www.lindenpointe.com/trainingcenter/index.html to see what we can now offer.

Also, note that if you wish to use the facility without going through KCEC you will need to talk to Paul Young.  Paul continues to be the director of the facility and will negotiate any costs that you might incur.  His contact information is available on the web site.

This will be effective on Feb. 1, 2012.

PDF of White-paper

Overview

The Community Education Councils (CECs) are essential in driving Pennsylvania’s rural economic engine. The CECs are facilitators/brokers of employer driven educational programs with the unique ability to be fluid and provide needed educational programming, in time and on time.  The CECs have been noted for being “Strategic Doers” in meeting the educational and training needs of the rural communities. The CECs identify and fill current needs as well as predicting future needs and have demonstrated a 2-1 return on investment.  The CECs have been an integral partner in building a more competitive rural workforce and strong rural economies. Through their collaborative efforts they promote change and increase the skills of the local rural workforce.

Examples of employer driven educational programs that would not be available to the rural areas if the Community Education Councils did not exist are: National Hardwood Lumber Association Lumber Inspection Certification,  Basics of Program Evaluation, Behavioral, Academic and Social Interventions for the Classroom,  Advancing in Microsoft Excel: Manipulating Data in Excel with Tables & PivotTables, LPN cohorts, A.S. in Business Administration, MS in Education in Curriculum and Instruction, Career Transition Programs, Professional Development Certificate Series, Industrial Safety Programs and other Adult Vocational Education.

Foreseeing the importance of the Marcellus Shale Initiative, Keystone CEC began developing a strategic approach in 2009 to meeting the needs of the Oil and Gas Industry in the communities of the Northwest Region.  The following is the sequence of events that have occurred.

• Development of the Northwest PA Oil and Gas Hub Taskforce.
• Meeting with Superintendents of area schools to promote curriculum needs.
• Held the “Community Awareness on Opportunities for you with Marcellus Shale” workshop.
• Development of the www.nwpaMarcellusShale.com website.
• Organized and facilitated the three day “NWPA Marcellus Shale Showcase” for educational professionals, business to business connections and land owners issues.
• Expanded the NWPA Oil and Gas Hub Taskforce, to include economic development, training facilities, and chamber of commerce partners.
• Coordinated the “Showcasing the Educational Opportunities and state of the art safety training facility in NWPA”.
• Co-hosted the first Northwest Pa Regional Oil and Gas Job Fair Center with the Oil Region Alliance held in conjunction with the Oil Region CareerLink Job Fair.
• The next event in the sequence will be a high level business to business workshop on June 28, 2011.

There have been thousands of individuals as well as local businesses and Oil and Gas companies who have participated in these events.

The “Technical Education Initiative” highlighted in this report illustrates the exceptional collaboration efforts that occurred only because of the coordination expertise of the Keystone Community Education Council (Keystone CEC).

Keystone CEC, in conjunction with Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) and the Career and Technical Schools in Keystone CEC’s service area successfully coordinated the “Technical Education Initiative” to offer community college technical programs in Northwest Pennsylvania. Keystone CEC is one of eight CECs in the state’s rural areas which were created to fill a niche filled elsewhere in the state by community colleges. The Keystone CEC facilitates access to post-secondary education and technical training by arranging for existing providers to offer the instruction at local facilities. Programs offered through the initiative are designed to meet the specific workforce and economic development needs of the rural regions.

Challenges for the “Technical Education Initiative”

The challenge is to bring the same affordable, quality technical education offered at the Community Colleges to the underserved rural areas without building a facility. This is accomplished by utilizing the Career and Technology Centers as the “bricks and mortar” during the times that they are not regularly in use.

Pennsylvania is rich in institutions offering four year degrees, masters and doctoral programs but is unfortunately lacking in certificate and associate programs. This is especially true in the rural areas north of Interstate 80 where there are no community colleges. Pennsylvania’s educational ladder — outstanding though it may be — does not reach all the way to the unskilled level. A major factor driving the outflow of jobs and people from rural Pennsylvania is the nearly total deficiency in providing one-year certificates and two-year associate degrees in technology-based disciplines.

Rural communities in Pennsylvania are facing increasingly tough challenges. Evolving technology and changes in the economy have created a need for rural communities to become competitive. As the lifestyle and economy of the rural communities change, so do the employment opportunities and educational needs of the region. Not only is there a need to develop a skilled workforce to meet the current demands of established area employers, but also to have available workforce that will draw new employers to the region.

In order for rural areas to address the challenges of dealing with barriers to higher education at the community, family, and individual levels it is imperative that certain needs be met.

• Families must be made aware of why higher education is important to their family and their community as well as the various types of higher education opportunities and financial assistance programs available.
• High schools must work closely with community colleges to ensure the programs that are provided are articulated and encourage the students to pursue some form of higher education.
  • Rural community leaders must work closely with employers to identify training needs and to partner to provide the training necessary to develop a highly skilled local workforce.

Legislators, local workforce agencies, economic development, employers and education must collaborate to build a more competitive workforce and strong rural economies. The partners involved have to work together to develop a new system to promote change and to increase the skills of the rural workforce. 

Methodology

The partners must address some issues common to rural counties as well as the programmatic issues in order to accomplish program goals:

• Change attitudes of families, communities, employers, local government, etc. and promote the concept that highly technical training can be provided in the rural areas.
  • Provide recognized “portable” industry credentials as well as credit bearing certificates.
  • Provide accessibility to training that is close to the student’s home and flexibility in the times of the day and week that programs are offered to accommodate the incumbent worker and their employers, the part-time worker, and the unemployed.
  • Provide training in tune with the demands of local and regional employers.
  • All partners must work toward creating an educational pipeline for the rural employers and with a consorted effort to include the Marcellus Shale gas industry.
  • Break down territorialism by promoting team building and partnerships, and developing common goals.
  • Partners must be prepared to quickly change direction to offer new programs as the needs of the communities change.
    • Provide coordination of the program by employing at Student Service Advisor/Coordinator is critical.
    • CEC’s act as an unbiased coordinator of the program and liaison between the partners.
    • Demand meaningful results. Students graduating from technical education programs will achieve portable industry credentials and enter skilled occupations offering family sustaining wages.

Solutions

The “Technical Education Initiative “ is established in Northwest PA and includes the following partners: Keystone CEC, the Community College of Allegheny County, three area Career and Technology Centers, and the Oil Region Alliance.

During 2010 the “Technical Education Initiative” facilitated by the Community Education Council piloted the following Community College programs:

• Basic Electronics Certificate Program – This college credit program is designed to provide the skills required to gain entry-level positions in the electronics and manufacturing industry. This program provides 26 college credits in 9 courses that provide a path toward the completion of an associate’s in Electronics Engineering Technology or bachelor’s degree. This is a pre-engineering program that may provide an entry into other fields of manufacturing and engineering technology. The program provides IPC Soldering Certification.
• WELDING TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM is a college credit program through CCAC designed to provide the skills required to meet the needs of welding and manufacturing companies for welders, fabricators, and grinders. The certificate program provides 18 college credits in 6 courses that can be used toward completion of an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.  The program provides AWS D1.1 or D1.5 Certifications.
• BASIC MACHINE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM – The graduates of this program earns 23 college credits in 8 courses in basic machine skills to gain entry-level positions in the machine and manufacturing industry. The basic machine operations of turning, milling and grinding are covered in specific courses. Students will work in a project-oriented environment with emphasis on precision, quality and development of sound work attitudes and skills. In addition to employment, the program can provide an entry to other fields of manufacturing and engineering technology. The program provides up to seven NIMS Certifications.

Outcomes

Accomplishments during 2010:

• Seven Community College technical certificate programs were successfully concluded by utilizing the local Career and Technical schools at times convenient for unemployed, underemployed and working learners.
• Sixty-six students have graduated and earned college credits and program certificates.
  • 127 Portable Industry Credentials were earned.
  • Students who were unemployed at the time of enrollment but are now employed are earning an average of $35,023.00 annually compared to the average entry level salary in Northwest PA for careers as Electrical Assembler, Machinists, and Welders of $22,283.

Remarks made during student graduations ceremonies:

• Congressman G.T. Thompson insisted that America remains “number one in manufacturing because of the American worker.” “A qualified worker is the best asset we can have,” he said, referring to the challenges ahead.  He praised the program for providing “affordable and accessible” job training “right here in the community.”
• Representative Scott Hutchinson stated that it was “a model of the kinds of things we need to do if we want to succeed.” “Collaboration and thinking outside the box and getting our citizens access to these kinds of opportunities, that is a model of what we have to do going forward. If we collaborate and work together and invest in our people, we can make this a strong Commonwealth.”

This collaboration would not have occurred without the coordination and leadership of the Community Education Council.

Feedback from the students at the graduation ceremony indicates its success.

• Charles Pearce, a student in the welding certificate program, explained that after 19 years making mobile homes, he lost his job in November 2008. “But now I have a skill. I’m a documented certified welder right now and also have college credits,” he said. “This class means a lot to me.”
• Timothy Balas of Oil City noted he was only able to take the basic machine program because it was held locally. “If it had been anywhere else, I wouldn’t have been able to attend. I’m just glad I had the opportunity to do this,” he said.
• Forrest Harvey of Pleasantville said he was laid off a year ago and found out that he was going to be a father at about the same time. “I was scared to death. I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said. But then he signed up for the basic machine course. He said he was recently called back to his job and was made a machine operator and is making $2 more an hour than he was before he was laid off. “I encourage everyone. If you get the education, you get the job,” he said.
• Adam Baughman, a student in the welding certificate program, noted that due to the economy, jobs are hard to find in this area. He said he attended both college and technical school, but his skills did not match the job needs of the region. There are, however, openings in machining and welding, he said. “We are getting the skills we need for building a career.”
• Debra Ehrhart, a student in the basic electronics program and an employee of Matric Limited, said such a program that provides technology training for local workers makes it possible for a company like Matric to remain in the area.

Future Programs

• The Keystone Community Education Council continues to coordinate these efforts and is currently offering a nine (9) credit Pipe Welding Course and an eighteen (18) credit Welding Certificate program.
• A request has been made for an Electric Motor Control Course which will begin in the Fall of 2011.
• Coordination has begun for a twenty-six (26) credit pre-engineering Basic Electronics Certificate Program and a three credit stand-alone Electric Motor Control course.
• The Department of Environmental Protection has a new regulation for “Casing Welding” where shallow well drillers will be required to have a pipe welding certification by August 5, 2011.  In response, a 9 – 12 credit Pipe Welding Program is being coordinated across northwestern Pennsylvania.

Conclusions

The lessons learned will help guide future programming and operations to continue expanding higher education opportunities in rural Pennsylvania.

• The “Technical Education Initiative” has proven to be an exceptionally productive use of resources that were made available to the Community Education Council and illustrates their expertise as facilitators and brokers of educational programs.
• With the ability to be fluid the Community Education Councils can provide training, in time and on time.
• The Initiative has been an excellent venue for expanding and increasing access to higher education in rural Northwest Pennsylvania.
• By offering low cost, high quality technology based training in a rural setting, the program has bridged the gap between high school education and formal four year educational institutions.
• The program partners will engage in continuing quality improvement to hone policies, processes and procedures.
• The “Technical Education Initiative “ was able to bring the same affordable, quality, technical, education offered at the Community Colleges to the underserved rural counties at the lowest cost possible.
• The CECs  have developed a way to meet the education needs of the rural community without the additional cost of building a facility by utilizing the Career and Technology Centers already in existence  as the “bricks and mortar” during the times they were not being used by high school students. Utilizing facilities that are already in place in the community is a win-win for employers, community colleges, perspective students and current high school students, the school district, and the economic future of the community.
• Employers have access to needed local training and a trained workforce that is cost and time effective.
• Community colleges save on day-to-day upkeep of a facility, cost of equipment, and save on administrative costs by utilizing CEC employees.
• Students benefit from up-to-date training at a reasonable cost and the opportunity to access training/education locally.
• School districts benefit from the additional income from rent and the use of equipment purchase via grant funds.
• The community benefits when the community college employs local educational professionals as Adjunct Faculty for the programs.
• Program equipment and supplies are purchased through local businesses which benefit the local economy.
• During 2010 the economic impact from the Basic Welding Programs was over  $300,000.00 to the local area.
• The whole community benefits from a skilled workforce and a strong economy.

Getting all the above players to work together on the “Technical Education Initiative” was a feat that had never been accomplished before. It took the unbiased coordination only available through the CEC to keep partners working together to address issues and accomplish common goals.

If there is a need the CECs fill it.  They don’t just talk about it, they do it.

Future is now  June 29, 2011

Local businessmen already feeling impact of shale boom

By JEREMY JOHNSON

JeremyJohnson.TheDerrick@gmail.com

Staff Writer

Brad Deeter of Deeter Farms Construction of Cooperstown talks about the large scale expansion of his trucking company that hauls water and sand to and from Marcellus drilling locations. Deeter was one of several panelists who talked about their part of the Marcellus shale drilling industry in Pennsylvania. Seated with Deeter are (from left) Dick Fontanesi of QET, Mark Windle of Range Resources and Matthew Darr (right), manager of the Holiday Inn in Clarion. By Jerry Sowden The first wave of speakers at Tuesday’s Business 2 Business Forum at the Venango Technology Center spent most of the morning touting the potential of the state’s Marcellus shale industry and offering advice to business owners on how they can become a part of the booming sector.

“I don’t think anybody in this room needs to be sold on this Marcellus shale gas play, this major opportunity,” said Sam Liberto, principal of Strategic Innovations, a consulting company. “It’s a game-changer.”

But it turns out those industry experts were only setting up the proverbial pins so that a pair of local businessmen on Tuesday afternoon’s panel of guest speakers could knock them down.

For the most part, the morning speakers (Carl Knoblock, of the U.S. Small Business Administration in Pittsburgh; Bud Shuffstall, senior oil, gas and mineral officer of Northwest Savings Bank; Al Catanzarite, vice president of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association; and Liberto) reiterated what has been said ad naseum by proponents of the industry for the better part of two years: There’s a giant shale formation underneath the state and it could generate millions of dollars and thousands of jobs for

Pennsylvania over the next 20 years or more.

Some offered advice on how to access business through online sales. Others spoke of marketing, presentation, specifications and industry needs regarding the complex world of natural gas drilling.

However, it was a pair of local business men sitting in on the afternoon discussion panel who really put the potential of the gas industry into perspective by providing some of the region’s first tangible evidence of just what impact the industry might make on area businesses.

“Everybody says Marcellus shale is still in its infancy, but I don’t understand how that can be true,” said Brad Deeter, operations superintendent of Deeter Farms Construction Inc. out of Cooperstown.

In February, Deeter and his family’s excavation-gone-water hauling company was the subject of a feature in The Derrick and The News-Herald. At the time, Deeter had said the more than 25-yearold company had gone from just four or five family members and a few trucks originally to a booming business with more than 30 employees with a fleet of 13 water trucks.

On Tuesday, Deeter told the more than 100 people at Tuesday’s forum — hosted by Northwest Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Hub — that his company now has 17 trucks and more than 50 employees, and continues even now to grow and expand.

“I went to college thinking there was no way I was going to stay in the family business,” Deeter said. “I loved it, but I didn’t think the opportunity was there for me to make something of it. (Marcellus shale) has definitely changed my feelings about that.”

For Matthew Darr, the general manager of the Clarion Holiday Inn, Marcellus shale has changed the entire landscape of the area’s lodging industry.

“You’ve heard a lot today about the numbers (of Marcellus shale) over the next 20 years and how it’s going to affect northwestern Pennsylvania, but I’m really here to talk about how it’s affected my hotel over the past couple of years,” Darr said.

According to Darr, when the economy began to struggle in 2008, so too did the Clarion Holiday Inn — so much so that they were forced to lay off some employees.

But when the Marcellus industry began to creep into Clarion County in 2009, Darr said his business saw a marked turnaround. At the end of 2010, Darr said the Clarion Holiday Inn recorded the highest revenue totals since the hotel was built in 1972 and was able to add an additional five employees on top of rehiring those employees who were previously let go.

“It’s hard to believe Clarion County can support five or six hotels, but we’ll probably need nine or 10 down the road,” he said.

Darr said he takes a very proactive approach to finding new guests working in the area’s Marcellus industry, including reading several newspapers a day to find out what companies are working in the area, and scouting the Clarion and Jefferson county courthouses.

“(The courthouses) are packed right now with leasing agents,” he said. “That’s another great way to find out who’s in the area.”

Putting the cart ahead of the horse?

Tuesday’s forum at the technology center was another in a long line of industry-specific events held in the tricounty area over the past year or more.

But with so much hoopla and so little actual drilling activity, is it possible that area economic developers are putting the cart ahead of the horse?

“No, because any time we’ve talked with, say, the Range Resources or the EQTs this is what they recommend,” said Deb Lutz of the Oil Region Alliance. “They would rather see these kinds of forums before the boom hits.

“I think our philosophy has always been that we want our businesses to be prepared … because we’ve heard stories about counties that just weren’t prepared for what’s to come. We’re just trying to continue the education and the information to prepare our businesses to do business,” she added.

The usual suspects

A major theme of Tuesday’s forum was networking. And there was no place better than the technology center for would-be Marcellus business entrepreneurs to start reaching out.

The guestlist for the Business 2 Business forum reads like a virtual who’s who of regional business, economic and industry development. A few major players in attendance for Tuesday’s event included Lutz; Lance Hummer, of the Keystone Community Education Council; Brad Ehrhardt, of the Clarion County Economic Development Corporation; Joe Barone, of the Pennsylvania Gas Directory; Mark Windle, spokesman for Range Resources; Dick Fontanesi, sourcing manager of EQT Corporation; Peter Winkler, aide to Congressman Glenn Thompson; and others.

First class of certified pipe welders graduates from Venango tech center
The Oil City Derrick News
April 29, 2011
By JEREMY JOHNSON
JeremyJohnson.TheDerrick@gmail.com
Staff Writer

Ethan Womer of Polk accepts his pipe welding certification from Peter Winkler at the Skyline Room in the Venango Technology Center in Oil City. By Jeremy Johnson Ethan Womer of Polk accepts his pipe welding certification from Peter Winkler at the Skyline Room in the Venango Technology Center in Oil City. By Jeremy Johnson A new wave of area welders are prepped and ready to enter the oil and gas industry workforce following the graduation of the Community College of Allegheny County’s first-ever class of certified pipe welders.

Ten local students were presented pipe-welding certifications during a ceremony and dinner Thursday evening at the Venango Technology Center in Oil City. They were the first to graduate from the certified pipe-welding class, which was developed through the CCAC by request from the technology center last November.

“I think this program is important because it’s the first of its kind here,” said Lance Hummer, executive director of the Keystone Community

Education Council. The council was also involved in the development of the program.

“Having this certification is proof that these people have the skills the industry wants,”

Hummer said. “Because this training is hands-on testing, and they have to actually show they can do it … that’s what the industry wants to know.”

Hummer said the council looked into developing a certified pipe-welding class after they took notice of a growing demand for industry-certified pipe welders cropping up in local classified job ads. And when more than a 1,000 people showed up for a two-day Marcellus shale showcase held at the Cross Creek Resort last October, Hummer knew it was the real deal.

“Part of the challenge is constantly keeping in touch with the industry,” he said. “It’s about always looking at what’s the next step.”

The benefits of the program are two-fold — not only does the program bring area workers up-to-snuff with industry requirements, but it also affords the opportunity for graduates to either make the transition to Marcellus from a previous career, or to start a new career altogether.

A fresh start was the case for at least one student, 21- year-old Lane Bowser of Knox who was hired by Joy Manufacturing a week before finishing the course.

Bowser said he is grateful for his new work, but is also pleased with the security the program has provided him in the instance that he finds himself looking for work again.

“You don’t know — depending on how high or low you are on the totem pole — where you’re going to be,” Bowser said. “But if I needed to, I could probably find a pipe welding job somewhere.”

Travis Crate, a welding teacher at the technology center who earned state certification in order to teach the class, agreed with Bowser’s sentiments.

“There’s a lot of money to be made in the welding field,” he said. “There’s a lot of welding shops just in this area alone.”

Congressmen Glenn Thompson’s aide, Peter Winkler, who was on hand to present certifications to each student, said the skills learned by students in the program could be lucrative beyond their imagination.

“I think you have prepared yourself for a field that will treat you very well financially,” he said. “If you’re willing to work hard, you’re going to make more money than you ever thought you were going to make.”

The CCAC’s pipe-welding class was not the first time the graduates of the program picked up a torch. The class — which focuses on specific oil and gas industry requirements — was only open to individuals with prior welding experience.

Nineteen-year-old Dylan Dunwoody took welding when he attended the technology center previously. He said he was interested in this particular course because he wanted to broaden his opportunities.

“I took the class, basically, just to find a better job,” he said. “The class was good and the teacher was great. They had all the materials there for us — all we had to do was go in there and practice and learn what we’re doing.”

Does he feel more equipped for a future in welding?

“Definitely,” Dunwoody said.

For 21-year-old graduate William Henderson, the class was all about covering all the bases.

“I just wanted to better my work skills and I thought this might make me more salable,” he said.

Henderson said he’s been struggling to find a job, but feels that his welding certification may improve his chances.

“It was a helpful class,” he said. “It betters your welding experience, not just in pipe welding, but all around.”

Other graduates of the class included Adam Baughman, Tyler Bubenheim, Harley Moore, Jacob Roxberry, Ethan Womer, John Wygant and Michael Young.