As a service to members, GPA and GPSA have formed a partnership with Oklahoma State University - Okmulgee to develop a Natural Gas Compression Electronic Technician Associate Degree training program exclusively for GPA and GPSA member companies.

The purpose of this program is to develop a reliable and continuous source for technicians specifically trained in natural gas compression to enter the gas processing industry. The curriculum will be structured to assure that the technical competency of the graduates will allow them to not only be high-caliber entry level technicians, but will also enable them to advance in position with additional experience and to understand new systems and processes as they are introduced.

The program will target the recruitment of students from geographic areas in which Members have a need for technicians and will incorporate internships as an ongoing part of the program to allow students to use and reinforce in a real world setting what they have learned in their classrooms and labs.

If you have an interest in this program and would like further information, please contact Kenny Wheat, GPA staff, by email kwheat@gasprocessors.com, by phone at 918-493-3872, or Roy Achemire, Program Chair, OSU - Okmulgee, 918-293-4724 or by email (achemir@osu-okmulgee.edu).

Jim Wells, right, with KimRay, Inc., Oklahoma City, an oil and gas equipment and controls sales and service corporation, presents a donation of parts to Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee Natural Gas Compression Instructor Bill Teel. The donation, made Oct. 2, includes some of the most utilized pumps, motor valves, pilot valves and metering valves currently used in the industry. Faculty and students will use the eleven donated elements to develop gas and liquid control systems for hands-on education. Valued at more than $2,300, the donation is one of the many ways KimRay supports the Natural Gas Compression associate of science degree program at OSU-Okmulgee. OSU-Okmulgee, Public Information, 918.293.5040