SCCTC receives grants

BY PAT FARNELLI
Times-Shamrock Correspondent

Southwestern Energy, a natural gas drilling company, recently donated $5,000 to the welding program at the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center.

The gift was used to purchase a piece of equipment from vendor PRAX Air in Pittston. The cost of the equipment came to exactly $5,000, said SCCTC director Alice Davis.

A Miller Machine 3506, a Miller XR-30 SPOD gun, and nozzles, tips, and wire for that machine were purchased.

Recently, Cabot Oil & Gas donated $50,000 worth of new pipe for the welding department, and Linde Corp transported the pipe to the school, Davis said.

“These industry partnerships provide valuable training opportunities for our students,” Davis said.

She said that carpentry students at the career center also made furniture, which was given to Cabot. The furniture, including a gun cabinet and chairs, was raffled, and Cabot donated the proceeds to the Junior Achievement program for grades K-12, which encourages students to stay in school.

Davis gave a presentation at a Hershey Symposium for career and technology education, and spoke of the need to have all students both college and career ready.

She said that career and technology students who might not aspire to attending college often find themselves motivated to go on to higher education when they receive credit for work they complete while in high school.

Through dual enrollment and other “stackable credit” programs, students can receive college credits, and then begin to think of themselves as college students, she said.

Davis also was selected to represent Pennsylvania and United States career and technology centers at a national conference in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21-22. She gave a presentation on the gas industry at both events.

“The industry plans to be active in this area for the next 30 years. If we don’t listen to them, and their needs for skilled and trained workers, they will leave the area,” she said.

Superintendent Ken Cuomo thanked Davis. “Publicly, I’d like to congratulate you, Dr. Davis. I know this is a tremendous honor to represent career and technology education nationally on Capitol Hill,” he said.

In other business, $5,769.29 in bills for the student-built house were approved for payment.

The board voted to accept funds from Supplemental Equipment Grants, and granted permission to bid for these items. Included are an auto body framing machine as well as child and adult CPR mannequins for the emergency services and safety program.