If you are interested or would like to receive information on any of the following grant programs; please contact:
Washington, PA Office @ 1-800-826-2338
Beckley, WV Office @ 1-877-798-8692
E-mail us: umwacc@verizon.net
As Shown In the News:
Open House Scheduled for New Simulated Mine Article
by Holly K. Hildreth, Greene County Messenger
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Open house scheduled for new simulated mine
Greene County Messenger
RUFF CREEK- The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Career Center in Ruff Creek invites the public to attend the Oct. 31 grand opening of the center's new simulated coal mine, which was completed three weeks ago. The simulated mine is part of the Mining and Technology Training Center, which offers training for new, inexperienced miners as well as mine foremen and examiners. Employees from local coal mines, such as Emerald and Cumberland, regularly send miners for training, said Clemmy Allen, Executive Director of UMWA Career Center Inc. Allen said the center trains mine rescue teams and diesel technicians, and the training is offered to anyone in the coal industry - whether the miner is a member of the UMWA or not. The center has been offering training for a few years. According to the center's Web site, umwacc.com, the goal is to serve the rural mining communities of Appalachia; work with their at-risk children; recruit young adults for job training; train workers to mediate abandoned mine lands; and train the next generation of America's coalminers. Allen said the career center was contacted by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health representatives who were concerned about mine safety. He said that the average mine worker in this area is 57 years old, and within the next six years, many of those workers will retire. "Someone has to fill that gap," Allen said. "A lot of people need to be trained to fill these positions." Allen said NIOSH is afraid to repeat the 1970's mining situation when the industry hired a lot of new miners, and the industry saw an increase in injury and fatality rates as a result of inexperienced workers. Through state and federal funding, Allen said the center purchased property to build the 40,000 square feet simulated mine and recruited some of the best mine safety experts in the country. Visitors touring the mine will have the opportunity to understand what it is like to work underground. "(The mine) will give a pretty good experience of what a real mine is like," Allen said. "If you're afraid of the dark, don't come." There will be refreshments available to visitors, and the grand opening celebrations begin at 1 p.m. For more information, visit the UMWA Career Center's Web site at umwacc.com CORRECTION: The date for the Grand Opening is Friday, October 30, 2009 not as reported in this article |
RUFF CREEK - It was a historic day for mining in Greene County Thursday as the inaugural mine safety and training event kicked off at the Mining and Technology Training Center in Ruff Creek.
Just miles away from the locations of mining disasters at Mather Mine in 1928 and Robena Mine in 1962, the MTTC is breaking valuable ground in the heart of coal country.
"This place was built to train the next generation of America's miners. There is a huge experience gap developing in the coal industry," said Clemmy Allen, executive director of UMWA Career Centers Inc. "Really, the main concern we have is the experience gap developing on the mine rescue teams."
That experience gap, based on attrition due to age, according to Allen, is one that leaves a lot of skilled positions open in the field of mining. He recognized the need for the training center with foresight and worked for several years to secure the funds and land to address the safety issues that this gap would lead to in the long run.
The inaugural event brought out representatives from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the United Mine Workers Career Center and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, among several other agencies in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Agency representatives helped to facilitate, train and judge the six mining safety groups that participated in the first safety competition.
"We hope we never have to use any of these skills," said Joe Sbaffoni, Pennsylvania's director of deep mine safety. "But, if we have to use them, we are prepared."
Although Sbaffoni said the problems don't exist to the extent they once did in the coal mines, he said that miners must always be prepared and ready for an emergency.
"If something happens, you are only going to be as good as yourself and your team," Sbaffoni said.
For Jeff Kline of the mine rescue team from Marion Center South in Indiana County, the MTTC at Ruff Creek is unlike anything they have at their disposal to use for training. At a time when Kline said turnover on his team has been almost continuous, the center is invaluable.
"We have two new guys, and we are losing two more," Kline said of his team. "We don't have anything like this upstate. This is the closest for us to train at. You learn a lot."
The education being doled out at the MTTC won't be limited to just those in the coal industry.
"We're hoping everybody will come out and take advantage of it," said Dellas Stutzen, an MTTC employee. "Guys keep saying how real it is. It is awesome that we have something like this so close to home."
On a trip to the facility, one can stand on the observation deck overlooking the simulated mine where rescue teams go through drills to rescue, watch as teams participate in hose handling drills or crawl through a smoke-filled tunnel. The observation deck with viewing portals was designed to allow school groups and others to get as close to the mining experience as possible without actually going into a real coal mine.
The MTTC is a place where generations of young people can get a sense of what it was like for their fathers, mothers and grandfathers to work in the industry.
With the potential for many job opportunities opening up in the next several years because of a generation of retirees, the coal industry could become an opportunity for many young people, according to Allen.
"There's always going to be room for hard-working people to gain employment in the industry," he said. "A lot of people want to be coal miners, but it's not a job that everybody can stay with."
The MTTC at Ruff Creek is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including the top breathing apparatus in the world, the Drager BG-4, and VENTSTOP Ventilation Control Unit, a rapid inflation wall that provides an air lock where air quality is compromised.
The grand opening of the MTTC at Ruff Creek will take place at 1 p.m. Oct. 30 and will be open to the public.
For more information on the MTTC for training, school groups or to rent the social hall for an event, call the center staff at 724-627-6259.
New Announcements:
The UMWA Career Centers, Inc. has secured funding for Mine Rescue Team, First Responder Training, Responsible Persons Training, Mine Foreman, Mine Examiner, Diesel Mechanic and New Inexperienced Miner Training.
Current Grants
MINE RESCUE TRAINING GRANT: Grant provided through a Congressional Earmark through the Department of Labor, Mine Safety Health Administration to provide the necessary training for Mine Rescue Teams and Responsible Persons. Grant expected to end September 30, 2010
INCUMBENT WORKER TRAINING GRANT: Grant provided through a Congressional Earmark through the Department of Labor to provide training for Mine Examiner, Mine Foreman, Diesel Mechanic and other pertinent training identified by the Mining Industry Partnership.
REDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE CAPITAL PROGRAM: Grant through provided by the State of Pennsylvania by Governor Rendell to build a simulated coal mine in Ruff Creek, PA. Grant is partnered with the County of Greene and the UMWA Career Centers, Inc.
BROOKWOOD SAGO GRANTS: Grants to provide a training program for Mine Emergency Preparedness and Mine Rescue and Mine Emergency Preparedness for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
NEW MINER TRAINING PROGRAM: Grant to provide training for individuals and give them the necessary skills and training to join the workforce as a new inexperienced miner in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Training currently scheduled for the Beckley, WV campus. Grant ends June 30, 2010
WEST VIRGINIA STATE SET ASIDE GRANT: Grant to service New Inexperienced Miners and provide the necessary skills and hands on training to become miners in the industry. Current funding expires June 30, 2010
PENNSYLVANIA MINING INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP/WORKER TRAINING: Grant to provide companies in the mining industry with the guidance, assistance and financial means to upgrade their workforce through the utilization of Incumbent Worker training funds through the State of Pennsylvania.
CECIL BALL FIELD: Grant received from the State of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection to help reclaim an abandoned mine site and transform into a baseball field for the Cecil Athletic Association.
The following grants have expired, however we are currently trying to obtain more funding to continue their efforts.
PA COAL: Pennsylvania grant for a Community Outreach Assisted Learning (COAL) program to assist TANF eligible participants in the rural coal mining communities.
WEST VIRGINIA REGION I: Partnership with West Virginia Region 1 Workforce Investment Board to provide services to dislocated coalminers in southern West Virginia Area 1. (ends 6/30/08)
MAPLE CREEK/84 Rapid Response: Rapid Response money received from the State of Pennsylvania to provide services to dislocated coalminers from Maple Creek, Inc. and the 84 mine dislocations
US EARMARK 05: Awarded grant money from the U.S. Department of Labor to continue to providing services to dislocated coalminers and those residing in rural coal mining communities of Appalachia.
US EARMARK 03: Grant from the Department of Labor through a US Congressional Earmark to identify, recruit, train and place dislocated coalminers and their spouses into jobs earning a living wage plus benefits. (ends 6/30/06)
PA DEP: Grant received from the Department of Environment Protection in Pennsylvania to conduct a feasibility study on abandoned mine lands in Southwestern Pennsylvania. (9/22/04 - 12/31/05)
OJJ/OCP: Grant received from the Office of Juvenile Justice, Department of Justice, through a US Congressional Earmark to operate an Outreach Crisis Program for troubled youth within a 150 mile radius of Washington, PA. (10/1/04 - 9/30/05)
For a complete list of the grants held by the UMWA CC Inc., please contact the site administrator.