Chevron Provides $60,000 for Scholarships to ShaleNET Partners

As part of its $20 million Appalachia Partnership Initiative, Chevron Corp. will provide $60,000 for scholarships to the four colleges in the ShaleNET grant consortium, including Pennsylvania College of Technology.

ShaleNET features participation from Penn College, the grant administrator; Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood; Navarro College, Corsicana, Texas; and Stark State College, Canton, Ohio. Key employers participating in ShaleNET include Chevron, Shell, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Chesapeake Energy, XTO and Encana.

Penn College will use $9,000 of $15,000 provided by Chevron to offer scholarships for  Roustabout training that prepares participants for entry-level careers in the natural gas industry. The remaining $6,000 will be designated for scholarship assistance to students enrolled in the college’s mechatronics engineering technology associate-degree major, which integrates electrical, mechanical and computer engineering into one field, offering various options for careers in manufacturing and the natural gas industry.

Discussions are underway for additional scholarship funding in subsequent years.

“Chevron’s investment in ShaleNET is a crucial component of ensuring the sustainability of the initiative,” said Tracy L. Brundage, vice president for workforce development at Penn College. “During the two-year legacy of ShaleNET US, nearly 1,000 people have enrolled in an academic certificate, credential or degree program. This training offers students an opportunity to pursue family sustaining careers while providing employers with well-trained workers. We are thankful for their support and generosity toward building an infrastructure of talented individuals to work in the energy sector.”

Chevron’s Appalachia Partnership Initiative is designed to address education and workforce development in 27 counties across southwestern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio. Launched in coordination with founding partners the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and RAND Corp., the initiative aims to improve education and technical training to meet the needs of growing regional energy and manufacturing industries through the development of new programs and expansion of existing efforts.

To learn more, visit the ShaleNET website or join ShaleNET on Facebook.

For more about Penn College, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, call toll-free 800-367-9222.