The Armstrong County Industrial Development Council (ACIDC) and the Energy Innovation Center Institute, Inc. (EICI) recently entered into a joint venture agreement to design, develop and operate a training facility for critical infrastructure workers at Northpointe, an 800-acre business park in Freeport, Pa.
The Critical Infrastructure Workforce Academy (CIWA) will provide the current and future workforce with the skills needed to safely install, operate and maintain critical infrastructure, including infrastructure for electricity, gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications.
The CIWA initiative aims to improve public and worker safety, attract and train new workers, retrain and upskill displaced and incumbent workers and advance energy sector research. CIWA is supported by the utility, energy, and related construction industries.
“The Marcellus Shale Coalition is pleased to be partnering with the Energy Innovation Center Institute’s first national Critical Infrastructure Workforce Academy,” David J. Spigelmyer, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said. “The MSC and our membership believe that CIWA’s unique training platform will assist in preparing our regional workforce to secure employment opportunities associated with the safe and responsible development of new natural gas infrastructure.”
Once fully developed, CIWA will include classroom and online training as well as virtual and live simulation. The site will also function as a laboratory for utility providers, upstream and midstream energy sectors, and the construction industry.
The ACIDIC and EICI will design and build the facility collaboratively with regional employers and their national training partners. The EICI will develop and manage the academy and its training and programming. Funding is being secured jointly through various sources, including private investors, employers, government, and foundation grants.
“The Energy Innovation Center Institute is delighted to partner on this important project,” EICI Chairman Charlie Schliebs said. “By establishing CIWA in Armstrong County and aligning with corporate and community needs, we will bring workforce development, education, and innovative technology, to where it’s needed most.”
The CIWA project and programing will be designed and built in several phases, starting in 2019. The EICI plans to conduct initial classroom training this fall at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) classroom facilities at Northpointe. The ACIDC expects to break ground on the first phase of the workforce academy and simulation yard in the spring of 2020.