Developing pipeline work force: training workers for the gas line.

• Author: Bradner, Mike
• Position: OIL & GAS

If we get a gas pipeline, will we have enough skilled workers to build it? This is one of the central concerns of the pipeline builders long with the other challenges this mega-project faces.

Both pipeline groups proposing gas pipelines, the TransCanada-ExxonMobil consortium and the Denali pipeline group led by BP and ConocoPhillips, have said that labor availability and the productivity of labor--that is, how skilled and well-trained the workers are --will affect construction costs, one of the major risk factors they face. "

There are worries, too, over effects the megaproject will have on the state's other employers. Will the pipeline pull able-bodied workers out of a lot of other jobs, leaving employers scrambling? The answer is probably yes. It happened before with construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System in the 1970s and it will probably happen again, state labor officials concede, although there are important differences between TAPS and the gas pipeline.

Fewer workers are likely to be engaged in gas pipeline construction than the oil pipeline in the 1970s because of automated pipeline construction technology. Also, the state's population and labor force are now bigger and better able to absorb such shocks.

However, if there is to be a gas pipeline, State, business and labor leaders want to be prepared not only to minimize disruptive effects but also to help Alaskan workers enjoy more of the big-money wages and to gain valuable skills they can use after the pipeline is built.

MEETING HEAVY WORKER DEMAND

We're starting from a weak base, though. The state's present skilled work force is aging and workers are retiring in increasing numbers. There may not be enough younger people entering training to replace them, much less provide enough workers in a few years' time to meet the heavy demand of pipeline building.

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The good news is that planning and preparation efforts for the pipeline are under way and have been for some time, and industry and labor are also taking separate initiatives. A major effort underway is with the Alaska Gasline Training Plan developed by the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The plan was assembled in 2008 and 2009 and people are working in several State agencies to coordinate the education and training effort involved. Both pipeline consortiums are working closely with the State.

Meanwhile, concerns over the work force have stimulated industry, contractors and unions to get busy with other training. One initiative underway, by construction unions and contractors, working cooperatively, is on pipeline construction training held periodically in...