News Releases for June 2008
June 17, 2008
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Hoeven, Officials Break Ground For New Petroleum Safety And Technology Center Of Excellence In Williston
WILLISTON, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven was joined by college officials and local legislators to break ground on the new home for the Williston State College (WSC) Petroleum Safety and Technology Center, one of the state's Centers of Excellence projects.
Joining Hoeven for the presentation were Williston State College President Joseph McCann; Williston Mayor Wade Koeser; Rep. Frank Wald; Petroleum Safety and Technology Center Director Deanette Piesik; Gary Johnson of the Hess Corporation; faculty; and other state and representatives of 23 industry partners; area legislators; and city and county officials.
"The success of North Dakota's petroleum producing communities, and the good jobs they generate, depends on a cutting edge workforce," Hoeven said. "The Petroleum Safety and Technology Center, with its new facilities, will help train a new generation of oil field workers and advance the innovative technologies necessary for a 21st Century industry."
The Petroleum Safety and Technology Center of Excellence co-develops and applies new oilfield technologies to meet the growing workforce and technology needs of the oil and gas industry in the Williston Basin. The training site offers hands-on experience with an actual rig and WSC's Workforce Training Division educates workers in the industry's latest technology. The Center has received more than $1.2 million dollars in Centers of Excellence match and donations.
A total of 3,699 individuals have participated in the center's safety training program, with 344 safety training courses provided. The number of oilfield related businesses requesting training this year has risen to 91. In addition, during the past academic year, 8 classes with 37 students successfully completed the Service Rig Training program. Of those, 95 percent of graduates have been hired by a service rig company or an oil related company. Individuals receiving the training have come from Montana, Minnesota, Wyoming, and across North Dakota.
The Center's new building will be 7,500 square feet with 4 classrooms, 4 offices and 2 high bays. It will house the well rig "floorhand" for the Well Servicing Program, Commercial Drivers License Program and other oil and gas related training programs. In the last legislative session, the state allocated $900,000 for the building project, $700,000 for the facility and $200,000 for operating expenses. The funding was allocated from the Permanent Oil Tax Trust Fund. The entire building project cost is $810,000.
"The addition of a new building will allow greater convenience and flexibility in providing more oil industry courses in the future," said Piesik, workforce training director. "As we develop other oil and gas training programs we will have those classes at the new facility."
The Center's Service Rig Training Program began classes in November of 2007 with a rig donated by Key Energy, which been refurbished to meet industry and safety standards. More than 20 companies have donated equipment and services in the development of this training program.
Center of Excellence funds will be matched by $1.3 million in private sector equipment and material donations. Williston State College, together with state legislators, the Oil and Gas Commission, the STAR Fund, local government, Williston State College Foundation, area economic developers, and industry partners have helped develop the center. Private sector partners include Key Energy, Nabors Well Service, Amerada Hess, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Oil Tools, Sanjel and others.
A Center of Excellence is a hub of research and development on the campuses of the North Dakota University System around which related businesses expand, creating new jobs and opportunities. The Governor's initiative provides up to $50 million for Centers of Excellence. The dollars will be leveraged with private and federal matching funds to generate a total investment in new jobs and businesses of more than $150 million. So far, $23 million in state funding has been leveraged with $100 million in private sector support for a total investment of $123 million.
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