Mine training center to receive grant
State education officials released $900,000 for the continued operation of the Mining Training and Technology Center in Greene County.
“Coal continues to provide a reliable and cost-effective energy source for millions of Americans,” said state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg. “The training center in Prosperity has a long track record of keeping miners safe through training in the latest techniques and technologies.”
Solobay and state Reps. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane Township, and Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, pressed for the funding during budget negotiations last summer.
The MTTC was built 16 years ago on 65 acres near Ruff Creek, using a $4 million state grant and thousands of miners were trained in mine safety skills, including first aid, CPR, ventilation and mine evacuation. The facility, run by the nonprofit United Mine Workers of America Career Centers Inc., trained more than 2,500 students for mine rescue teams.
The facility features a simulated coal mine, consisting of artificial blocks of coal that replicate the physical layout and conditions of an underground mine, inside a 40,000-square-foot building.
Each graduate receives the requisite 40-hour Mine Safety and Health Administration training certificate, a CPR card, a certificate of completion from the school and a Penn State University certificate that will show potential employers the graduate is qualified to work in an underground mine.