Job training programs for energy sector need government investment, witnesses tell lawmakers

E&E News
By Joshua Learn
June 25, 2014

Witnesses told lawmakers yesterday that robust government grants are necessary for training a workforce to fill the skills gap between new college and technical school graduates and highly skilled jobs in the energy industry.

"We would like policymakers to give some attention to that," Marlene McMichael, the associate vice chancellor for government affairs at the Texas State Technical College System, said at a hearing examining the connection between educational institutions and jobs in the energy sector.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) led the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee hearing titled "American Energy Jobs," the latest in a series of sessions examining different aspects of jobs in the energy sector. "This boom in energy development is generating a demand for skilled workers in a broad array of economic sectors, which poses both opportunities and challenges for policymakers, businesses and job seekers," he said.

"Universities and community colleges are working hand in hand with the energy industry to tailor their programs to the needs of the industry. This not only includes creating and reinforcing the requisite educational programs, but offering students internship and apprentice opportunities in the industry and bringing in highly qualified industry professionals to teach students the skills needed to succeed in the industry."

Lamborn said that students in energy-related areas enjoy an extremely high post-graduation job placement rate right out of college compared with their peers in other sectors.

McMichael said the college system she works with engages students in coursework that equates directly to industry standards -- they only get funded when their graduates get hired. While she said this is good for creating integration between educational materials and industry needs, the system would be better off with added financial aid from governments.

Teresa Jones, an associate professor and program coordinator of renewable energy, energy efficiency, plant biology and environmental science at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts, said that a workforce grant from the state helped the college create programs that put people -- including veterans -- to work.

Another hearing in the same series in the beginning of April examined opportunities available for veterans in the energy industry.

In response to a question from Lamborn concerning debt, Seth Lyman, director of the Bingham Entrepreneurship & Energy Research Center at Utah State University, said that tuition costs at his college would be equaled by the first year's salary in the industry.

He said that scholarships have helped people in the Uintah Basin of Utah get local jobs in an area that includes one of the nation's highest natural-gas- and crude-producing regions. "Because of our high-quality educational institutions and an abundance of high-paying jobs, the [Uintah] Basin has one of the highest rates of income mobility in the country," he said.

Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D-Pa.) touted his "Skills Gap Strategy Act of 2014," a bipartisan bill to marry the skills gap in the industry by increasing on-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities as well as increasing employer participation in job training.

"Investing in a skilled workforce that meets industry needs is investing in our future," Cartwright said.

Duane Hrncir, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, said that his school's graduates have a 96 to 98 percent placement rate depending on the year, making it one of the top 10 schools in the country for investment return for the cost of college education. He said that enrollment in the college is growing by 5 percent per year.

Cartwright pointed out that the level of enrollment and training is nowhere near saturation point based on the 96 to 98 percent employment rate of graduates at the South Dakota mining school, but Hrncir said that the programs are controlled in order to avoid hitting saturation points.