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New oil, gas program set at Gateway

From staff reports

STEUBENVILLE – Eastern Gateway Community College now offers a short-term certificate to prepare students for a job in the oil and gas industry operation and maintenance technician field. The four-course program may be completed within one 16-week semester. Spring classes begin Jan. 13.

According to college officials, the new certificate prepares students for the following careers:

– Well tender/lease operator/pumper with tasks that may include monitoring control panels during pumping operations; operating engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules; performing routine maintenance on equipment; repairing gas and oil meters and gauges; unloading and assembling pipes and pumping equipment, using hand tools; and attaching pumps and hoses to wellheads.

– Rig hand/roustabout with tasks that may include keeping pipe deck and main deck areas clean and tidy; unscrewing or tightening pipes, casing, tubing and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches; walking flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections and repair the leaks; moving pipes to and from truck; guiding cranes to move loads about decks; supplying equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks; and digging drainage ditches around wells and tanks.

– Entry-level laborer with tasks that may include controlling traffic passing near, in or around work zones; cleaning or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards; signaling equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement or adjustment of machinery; digging ditches, backfill excavations or level earth to grade specifications; tending pumps, compressors or generators; and erecting and dismantling scaffolding, shoring, braces or other temporary structures.

Program admissions requirements include a high school diploma/GED, valid driver’s license, criminal background check, drug test and college placement testing.

Oil and gas workers often work in remote locations outdoors and around heavy machinery, so they must follow precautions.

Most work full time, and they often work overtime, according to the Occupation Outlook. The median annual wage of oil and gas workers was $37,640 in May 2010. Employment of oil and gas workers is expected to increase by 8 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to officials.

For information, contact the college a(800) 68-COLLEGE, extension 212.

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