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Federal Money Goes Toward Drilling Training At Butler County School

A Western Pennsylvania school is training students for drilling-related jobs. As the Post-Gazette reports, Butler County Community College is funding the effort with federal grant money:

Butler County Community College is using more than $1 million in federal grant money to link the area’s displaced workers with jobs in the booming Marcellus Shale industry. The first class started last week.
“The goal is to develop rapid deployment of laid off and underemployed workers into high-wage, high-demand jobs. It’s exciting to be part of an effort like this,” said Karen Zapp, who was hired Jan. 4 as the program manager for TACT, an acronym for the Transition Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training. BCCC will receive $553,044 in federal money to use over three federal fiscal years, from October 2011 through September 2014. Additionally, another pot of federal money for “emerging industry” job retention from the U.S. Department of Labor will allow the college to receive $3,000 in tuition reimbursement for each person trained.
The community college identified the gas and oil industry as “the new big thing” for the region. A three-week class for roustabouts to work on gas and oil drilling rigs began Feb. 6 with 17 students.

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