SOUTH CENTRE TOWNSHIP -- Students in a vocational welding program have something to look forward to when they go back to school this fall. Two natural gas companies gave the school in Columbia County a big donation which directly helps the welding program.
The materials are normally something you'd see on the way to a natural gas company. Instead, it was all delivered to the Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School near Bloomsburg.
The materials are a donation from Williams Companies and Cabot Oil and Gas.
"This is a great opportunity for us to give them supplies that they can utilize to help their students learn how to weld," said Williams Companies manager Mike Atchie.
The pipes and pipeline supplies are for the students in the welding program.
The two natural gas companies in Wyoming and Susquehanna Counties came together to donate the materials worth around $30,000.
"To get students interested early in welding is exciting for us because they see the opportunity they have. When you look at this amount of pipe, this pipe will last for years," said George Stark, Cabot Oil and Gas.
Dave Bacher is the administrative director at the school. There are nearly 100 students in the welding program.
"This is creating opportunities for students that they wouldn't have had otherwise," Bacher said. "It's a gift that's in excess of $30,000, and quite frankly, in the absence of this gift, we wouldn't be able to put the kids on pipe like this."
The gas company representatives hope the students will work for their companies one day.
"Welders are in high demand. Do we want to hire them? Absolutely. Does Williams want to hire them? Yes. But what we also see is the career offers them the flexibility to go elsewhere," said Stark.
The donation is not only saving the school money, it is saving taxpayers in Columbia and Montour Counties money as well.
"It's material that we don't have to buy," Bacher explained.
The gas company reps say this is actual material they are using in the field so it is perfect for the students to learn on.
