International Exports
West Virginia’s Mine Safety and Rescue Expertise
By Dennis Jarvis, II
When you hear the term “outsourcing,” it is usually
associated with corporations and organizations seeking cost-effective employment needs in markets outside of their region or outside the United States. The definition of this trend, however, has begun to change as the international coal industry has turned to the Mountain State for its mine safety and rescue knowledge and expertise. Two of West Virginia’s higher education institutions now share the state’s rich knowledge in these fields with the international coal industry. West Virginia University (WVU) and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College (SWVCTC) have become recognized in the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions as centers of excellence for the type of training now being sought by international groups looking for information on training
programs. In some cases, they are also engaging in training at these schools. The similarities between the programs at WVU and SWVCTC go beyond the training and shared resources, such as the 5DT simulated continuous miner and truck loader. The two schools also share a bond and a mission on the mandate for training in the region of the Appalachian coal fields. Jim Dean, the director of the WVU Mining Extension Service Program, and Carl Baisden, the director of the Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technology at SWVCTC, meet on a regular basis to discuss innovations and training needs in the mining industry to ensure the mine safety training the two schools offer to both students and visiting delegations are in line with the current trends of the mining industry.
www.wvexecutive.com
fall 2012
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