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Jun 26, 2008 6:34 pm US/Central
TCC Program Helping Fill Jobs From Barnett Shale
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The boom in natural gas production has left many gas companies shorthanded. But now some companies are tapping local sources to fill hundreds of vacant jobs.
Folks at the Tarrant County College say they knew there was a demand for gas field workers. It wasn't until gas companies came knocking on their door that they realized how big the demand for workers is.
"It's huge. I mean we had Devon [Energy] come to us," said Linda Garcia with Tarrant County College. "Their suppliers were having a hard time finding a qualified workforce."
The production boom has resulted in a class on natural gas. Devon Energy, two oil and gas construction firms and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are all tapping local talent to tap the Barnett Shale.
With many of the gas field workers being brought in from Oklahoma, there's not only added costs for gas companies but missed opportunities for Tarrant County. Now, Tarrant County College oversees a program focused on training and safety to put students on career fields in the gas fields.
"So when a guy walks through the door on this program he is fully trained in all the safety requirements that all the contractors and all the companies working in the energy industry require," George Jackson with Devon Energy explained.
On their first tour of their field of dreams students plan a hard working future. "Hopefully [working] in the oil and gas energy. I can start at the bottom and work my way to the top," said TCC student John Garcia.
Response to the program has Victor Garcia with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce very excited. "I've got close to 200 applicants. So I'm going back to the people who funded this program, Devon Energy, and anyone else working in the Barnett Shale to see if they'll fund another class."
There are about a dozen students participating in new TCC program and they already have companies lining up to offer them jobs.
One gas company executive says they'd like to see a thousand North Texas students trained in energy related fields in coming years.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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