It was not lost on us here at Cabot the day Governor Wolf put forth a severance tax on the natural gas industry to fund education reform, representatives of the natural gas industry came together to host a day long career exploration program at Valley View High School in Archbald.
The program, called Careers in Energy, exposes students to the profound impacts of today’s energy revolution and presents many opportunities for young adults to matriculate in to good paying, family-sustaining careers, some of which are found right here in Northeast Pennsylvania.
During the program, students rotate through eight core areas including: engineering, geology, alternative energies, nuclear power generation, pipelines, utilities, and oil & natural gas development. Experts from each field provide background information, discuss career opportunities and present interactive, hands on activities to fortify what they just learned.
Students not destined for a career in the energy industry take a lot away from the program, too. For instance, everyday things like plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers and even hairspray are not possible without access to affordable, abundant energy.
To wrap up the program in a fun, engaging way, the class was split in two groups. Five students were selected to represent each group in a jeopardy style competition. Questions were derived from the material presented throughout the day.
The teams volleyed back and forth, answering questions until the competition, tied, came down to the final question. Impressed by the enthusiasm of the students, Southwestern Energy decided to reward both teams (the entire 11th grade) with a pizza party.
For Valley View, Careers in Energy is a precursor to a much larger energy elective class offered in the fall. About a year ago the science department at the school, engaged Cabot, Southwestern Energy and the Marcellus Shale Coalition to assist with developing a unique, never before taught energy elective for junior and seniors. This new elective will offer the most in-depth educational experience into the energy industry possible.
The day was covered by several media outlets including the Scranton Times Tribune, WBRE and WNEP.
Here’s the full Generations of Energy segment by WBRE:
PGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHA6Ly9lcGxheWVyLmNsaXBzeW5kaWNhdGUuY29tL2VtYmVkL2lmcmFtZT9hc3BlY3RfcmF0aW89M3gyJmFtcDthdXRvX3N0YXJ0PTAmYW1wO3BmX2lkPTEyMTY0JmFtcDtyZWw9MyZhbXA7c2hvd190aXRsZT0wJmFtcDt2YV9pZD01NjA2Mjg3JmFtcDt2b2x1bWU9OCZhbXA7d2luZG93cz0xIiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjMzMCIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIHNjcm9sbGluZz0ibm8iPjwvaWZyYW1lPg==Careers in Energy is offered in partnership with Junior Achievement and the energy industry throughout northeast Pennsylvania. In its third year, Careers in Energy has engaged over 1,000 students from 9th through 11th grade. The program is constantly changing to reflect the latest trends of the energy industry. If your interested in participating or hosting Careers in Energy at a High School in NE PA please contact Melissa Turlip of Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania at mturlip@janepa.org.
