The largest Cat dealer in Pennsylvania, Cleveland Brothers, has formed a partnership to create a two-year associate degree to train technicians in the natural gas compression industry and provide tuition reimbursement for select students.
The degree will be offered this fall at the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) in Centre County. Ariel Corporation, a manufacturer of natural gas compressors, is the third partner in the degree.
The program will teach students to disassemble and assemble components, perform regular preventive maintenance, and test, adjust and troubleshoot the various systems specific to CAT and Ariel equipment, CPI’s website says.
Classes will begin November 28th at CPI for the degree, which is the second of its kind in the country.
Students will train within the Marcellus Shale Formation, the United States’ largest source of domestic natural gas. CPI says jobs for gas compression technicians are abundant in a region that has seen rapid growth in shale oil and gas production.
Under the partnership, Cleveland and Ariel will provide equipment for students to use for training. After the first term, the gas industry partners will review students in the program for pre-hire. If pre-hired, the students will receive $15,000 in tuition reimbursement. CPI lists the program’s total cost at $29,490.