Hocking College will offer the first year of a Petroleum Technology program in partnership with Stark State College. The program is now enrolling students for autumn semester 2015; the Hocking College portion of the program will be located at the Hocking College Logan Campus.

This program leads to the completion of an associate degree through Stark State College, an approved ShaleNet training provider. Students can complete the first year of an Associate of Applied Science degree program at Hocking, then choose one of five Petroleum Technology tracks to complete at Stark State: Pipeline Technician, Instrumentation Electronics Technician, Production Technician, Industrial Process Operation or Petroleum Industrial Mechanics Technology.

The current oil and gas boom in the United States has resulted in new job opportunities and Ohio sits atop large portions of the Utica Shale formation, a large reserve the U.S. is only just beginning to tap. According to the latest Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Ohio Shale Quarterly Economic Trends for Ohio Oil and Gas Industries report, core shale-related employment, which includes such things as pipeline construction and well drilling, increased more than 110 percent from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter of 2014. The largest percent growth in employment for the core shale-related industries during that time frame was in the Southeast region of the state, which saw in increase of 227 percent.

"Job growth in this industry shows no signs of slowing and through this partnership we can train people for these well-paying jobs and provide valuable skilled employees to fill industry needs," said Dr. Betty Young, president of Hocking College. "Hocking and Stark State recognized the chance to partner and we're excited about the possibilities this program will offer." Young said.

Stark State is located in Canton and is the fourth largest of Ohio's 23 public two-year colleges in the University System of Ohio.