Marcellus Shale Webinar Analyzes Industry Workforce and Training

As industries grow, so does the demand for a talented workforce. In the Marcellus shale region of Pennsylvania, economic development as a result of the past’s decade’s natural gas production boom has created the need for advanced training across all facets of the industry.

“Finding and developing a skilled workforce remains a critical issue for natural gas and oil employers. It affects all aspects of business from safety to profitability. When successful, all stand to benefit – the employer, the community, and the individual,” said John Strittmatter, Regional Hub Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L & I).

Strittmatter will join James Martini, an economist with the L & I, and Daniel Mendell, an instructor from the Pennsylvania College of Technology/ShaleNet to provide a free webinar that will discuss workforce trends, employment figures, wages, training needs, recruiting, amongst other topics this week, Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 1pm EST. This webinar is part of a monthly series provided by Penn State Extension’s Marcellus Education Team. 

Previous webinars have included topics such as Utica and Point Pleasant, world oil and gas resources, and royalty calculations. Although these are free, registration is required. Click here for more info.

How should wholesalers and advisors utilize these webinars?

In addition to being a great educational tool for personal use, third party resources such as the Penn State Extension’s webinar series are excellent reinforcement tools for wholesalers to share with advisors interested in oil and gas partnerships. Wholesalers could direct advisors to these resources in order to strengthen discussion points made during phone conversations or office visits. 

“PSU [Penn State University] is internationally renowned as one of the top research institutions in the world and it has a treasure trove of information on the Marcellus. They’ve been the leading authority on disseminating good info for the public,” according to Michael Knapp, Vice President of Land and Public Relations at MDS Energy Development, LLC (MDS).

MDS is a fully-integrated exploration and production firm active in the Marcellus that offers direct participation drilling partnerships through the independent broker dealer (IBD) channel. Be sure to read “Who is MDS Energy Development, LLC.”

Knapp uses webinars like this to help landowners gain a better understanding of the industry from an unbiased third party.
Advisors can take a page from Knapp’s book and do the same for clients.

For more information about Penn State Extension’s webinar series, click here.