Choffin Career Center

[Towntalk]

Manufacturing Month; Sparking an Interest in Skilled Trades
      Manufacturing careers are resurging in the Valley. Skilled trades, like welding are in demand because of the oil and gas industry.

Columbiana County Career and Technical Center said it's seeing an increase in people interested in manufacturing programs.

"I think a lot of people realize, that sitting behind a computer might not be where the money is," said Huck Hughes, Welding and Fabrication Instructor.

The financial benefit of a manufacturing job has high school students interested.

"We turned down students this year," said Hughes. "We had over 60 applicants , and we're only allowed to take 50."

Paige Lawrence has been enrolled in the welding program since last year.

"I would like to get into the actual engineering side of welding too," she said. "That's what I would like to go to college for.

She's considering taking adult education classes on welding to further her education.

"The third level is a very hard in-depth level, said Hughes. "That's high pressure pipe, that's what we're seeing come to our area."

"It would be awesome to have a welding job just right out of school, so I can work my way through college and stuff," said Lawrence.

Some high school students already have welding jobs.

"We're meeting their needs before they come out of high school," said Hughes.

October is Manufacturing Month for the Oh-Penn Interstate Region.

     
Related:


Marcellus Reserves Larger Than Expected
     There's been plenty of debate over the Marcellus Shale natural gas field, but new research adds a twist that could impact political and environmental battles.
Two independent financial firms say the Marcellus isn't just the biggest natural gas field in the country, it's the cheapest place for energy companies to drill.
A report from Standard & Poor's issued this week finds that the powerful combination of Marcellus resources and the location near major markets in the Northeast is altering natural gas prices and market trends across the nation.
Another report from ITG Investment Research says Marcellus reserves are far larger than recent government estimates.
George Jugovic Jr., the president of the environmental group PennFuture, says the reports show how important it is to get gas drilling regulations "in order."

       

[Towntalk]

Such trades as welding and other trades that would relate to the oil and gas trades.

[iwasthere]

what fields are you inquiring?

[Towntalk]

We keep hearing about other school systems in the valley are doing to train students for jobs in the manufacturing sector yet there is no mention about Choffin. Does anyone know precisely what Choffin is doing. I went to their web site and there is no mention of the courses it is offering.