Fremont County BOCES

(RIVERTON) -- Regional energy industry partners and the Fremont County Board Of Cooperative Education Services (FC BOCES) have joined forces to expand an Energy Exploration Class into an additional West Central Wyoming high school this fall semester.

"It's critical that our students have an opportunity to understand the full potential of energy and related industries and how they might fit into the picture," said BOCES Career and Technical Director Larry Christensen. "Without the support of our energy partners, such as Marathon Oil, this course would not be available. Our partners have funded it, provided equipment for it, and helped develop facilities for it."

Marathon Oil is a long-standing contributor in the effort making donations totaling $20,000 to the program this calendar year, Christensen said. The Energy Exploration class was started as a pilot project at Riverton High School two years ago. Due to the success of that first program, the class has expanded to other high schools in Fremont and, now, Hot Springs counties. Thermopolis is the latest high school to offer the FC BOCES program starting this fall semester.

"This class helps keep kids enrolled and engaged in high school through graduation, while providing them with hands-on skills and insight into the many career options available in the field," said Marathon Oil's Wind River Operations Production Supervisor Ron Lance in supporting the program. "The industry needs skilled workers and this program is the entry point for young people seeking a career in the energy field."

Our energy industry partners provide visiting instructors and company trainers to work with the students, and they host the classes at local operations and production sites for "on the job" field experiences. "Without the cooperation of our many Energy Industry partners, especially Marathon Oil, this program would simply not be possible," Christensen said. “We are thrilled that Marathon has continued to help these students find a meaningful career path."

Through the contributions, students are provided with personal protective equipment, a shop area at the James H. Moore Career Center in Riverton was enhanced to accommodate the needs of the program and incentive jackets are provided to top performing students at each school.

In addition to the hands-on training a student receives, OSHA Safety certifications are awarded for successful completion of safety programs. Such certifications are required for employment throughout the industry.

Since the beginning of the program, field trips were organized to observe exploration and production facilities around Wyoming and have included visits to natural gas and oil production facilities, pipeline operations, reclaimed mining and drilling sites and geology field trips, in addition to visits to working rigs, both exploration and work-over.

Fremont County BOCES Executive Director Sandy Barton congratulated local Marathon Oil Wind River Operations Production Supervisor Ron Lance on Marathon's contribution of $20,000 to the Energy Exploration program. Regional energy industry partners, including Marathon Oil, have funded the popular high school career class, which has now expanded into Hot Springs County High School in Thermopolis this fall semester.

(CASPER) – Two Fremont County entities were presented with the state's top workforce awards this past week for developing partnerships and creating innovations in employment opportunities. The awards to the Fremont County Board of Cooperative Education Services (FC BOCES) and the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s Wind River Casino were presented at the annual Governor’s Summit on Workforce Solutions.

The Energy Exploration program developed by FC BOCES in cooperation with regional energy industry partners was honored with the 2010 Workforce Partnership Award. Joan Evans, Director of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, said the Energy Exploration program "has demonstrated a unique collaboration between businesses and the community."

Now in its third year, the Energy Exploration course will be offered at all high schools in Fremont and Hot Springs counties this coming fall, said Larry Christensen, FC BOCES Career and Technical Director. "Without the cooperation of our energy industry partners, this valuable program would not exist" Christensen said.

FC BOCES Executive Director Sandy Barton said the course provides high school students with a wide range of energy industry career options. She said students in the program learn about such topics as geology, exploration, production, reclamation, contracting, and environmental, to mention a few. Students who successfully complete the class also earn an OSHA Safety Certification card.

The Northern Arapaho Tribe's Wind River Casino was presented with the 2010 Innovation in the Workplace Award "for investing in the development and well being of its employees."

Now the largest employer in Fremont County with some 600 workers, the casino operation was recognized for having brought "revolutionary change" to employment on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

All employees of the casino operations, which include the Wind River and 789 casinos south of Riverton and the Little Wind Casino at Ethete, are trained on customer service, personal finance and other job skill areas. For many reservation residents, the casinos have provided their first stable employment opportunity.

FC BOCES facilitates the casino's employee training at its West Main Street location in Riverton.

Accepting the Workforce Partnership Award was FC BOCES Career and Technical Director Larry Christensen, left. Also on hand for the presentation were Riverton Workforce Services Director Burl Gies, right, EnCana Oil and Gas Wyoming Community Relations Advisor Randy Teeuwen, who nominated FC BOCES for the award, and FC BOCES Executive Director Sandy Barton.

(RIVERTON) – The curriculum for the Wind River Job Corps Center to be built in Riverton is now under development as architectural plans for the center are being finalized. An energy industry curriculum advisory committee met this month to review plans for the center, which is slated to go out for bid in the coming months.

The U.S. Department of Labor has designated the focus of the Wind River Job Corps to be centered on energy and renewable resources and, as such, the Riverton center will be the only Job Corps in the country to offer this vital curriculum.

The center’s specialties are planned to include three major cross industry training clusters including Energy and Transportation, Advanced Manufacturing and Construction plus Service occupations such as office administration, clinical medical assistants, culinary arts and hospitality.

Representatives from EnCana Oil and Gas, Conoco-Phillips, Marathon Oil and Devon Energy met with City of Riverton Public Works Director Bill Urbigkit and Fremont County BOCES Career and Technical Director Larry Christiansen and Executive Director Sandy Barton to go over the fine points of the plan as the city is now beginning the process to install utility infrastructure at the site.

The unique and regionally specific training to be offered here is expected to attract students not only from Fremont County and the Wind River Indian Reservation, but also from the state and entire Rocky Mountain region. The Wind River Job Corps will be Wyoming’s first-ever Job Corps center.

The nearly 126-acre Wind River Job Corps campus is to be located on the airport bench in NW Riverton. The campus will include 145,000 gross square feet of buildings, with each to feature energy efficient and “green” building techniques for long term sustainability.

Once the successful bidder has been chosen, construction of the Job Corps center will take about 14 to 18 months according to Thomas Dorman, the Regional Project Manager under contract with the Department of Labor’s National Job Corps Office. He said construction would begin three to four months after a general contractor is selected.

Riverton City Administrator Carter Napier said a $1.5 million infrastructure grant from the Wyoming Business Council is funding the extension of utilities to the site.

Napier said plans are moving forward for construction of a two million-gallon water storage tank near the site, which would not only serve the Job Corps, but the entire airport bench and Northwest portions of the city as well. Napier also said the city is seeking grant funding for the total reconstruction of Airport Road, which will be the primary street access to the site.

(RIVERTON) – One of the major partners of Fremont County Board of Cooperative Education Services is Conoco/Phillips, which recently made a $10,000 donation to the Riverton-based education cooperative.

"Conoco/Phillips is an ongoing partner with our Energy Exploration curriculum," said FC BOCES Career and Technical Director Larry Christensen. “They have supported the program since its inception by providing OSHA Certified Safety Trainers, they have opened up their local facilities for class field trips, and they made a significant contribution when they upgraded our prime training classroom with technology and other enhancements."

In presenting the donation at a ceremony inside the updgraded lecture hall, the "round room" at the School District 25 hilltop facility in Riverton, local Conoco/Phillips manager Greg Ashdown said the donation was in keeping with the company's support of local education initiatives.

Now in its third year, the Energy Exploration course will be expanding to all high schools in Fremont and Hot Springs counties this coming fall, with the exception of Dubois, Christensen said.

FC BOCES Executive Director Sandy Barton said the contributions from Conoco/Phillips, and other energy industry partners, "provides local students with a wide range of energy industry career options." Barton said students in the program learn about such topics as geology to exploration, from production to reclamation, and from contracting to environmental, to mention a few. Students who successfully complete the class also earn an OSHA Safety Certification card.

News for immediate release
Contact: Sandy Barton, (307) 856-2028
October 23, 2009

(Riverton) - Forty-three Wyoming educators from 21 communities attended the Wyoming Energy Resource Workshop Oct. 22-23 in Riverton to learn from industry representatives the science and sources of energy, both in Wyoming and North America.

"Education is very important to us, and that is why we are doing this workshop," said Mark Halseide (Hall-side), EnCana Oil and Gas (USA) Wind River Plant and Pipeline coordinator in Riverton. "In 2008, EnCana invested $1.4 million into Wyoming communities, including grants to the University of Wyoming, Central Wyoming College, Ag in the Classroom, Habitat for Humanity and Fremont County Board of Cooperative Education Services for the Energy Exploration program in local high schools." He said the company also provides scholarships to students in Fremont, Sublette and Sweetwater counties where EnCana has its operations in the state.

Halseide, plus EnCana's Wyoming Community Relations Advisor Randy Teeuwen, John Schmidt, Riverton Operations Manager, and Kristen Juve, Drilling and Completion Supervisor in Riverton, teamed up to explain the firm's Wyoming operations and answer questions from the teachers.

The educator-oriented curriculum at the workshop included a take home "Science of Energy" kit for classroom use provided by EnCana Oil and Gas, plus take home lesson plans and activities for teaching the exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas resources. Workshop sessions also included energy efficiency and conservation topics, along with tips on how to integrate energy topics into the classroom.

The Fremont County Board of Cooperative Education Services facilitated the workshop and EnCana Oil and Gas, Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom and NEED-Putting Energy into Education sponsored it.

Participating educators received credit for the two-day workshop, and completion certificates.

Participants represented the communities of Baggs, Big Piney, Casper, Cheyenne, Douglas, Dubois, Kaycee, Gillette, Lander, Laramie, Medicine Bow, Pinedale, Powell, Riverton, Rock Springs, Torrington and Upton.

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