BHCC Launches New Gas Utility Technology Degree Option Program

BOSTON, MA – Bunker Hill Community College’s (BHCC) Computer Information Technology Department will offer a Gas Utility Technology degree option program to students beginning fall 2015. Part of the Charlestown, MA-based college’s effort to identify and close workforce gaps, the program will help produce qualified individuals to replace aging baby boomers scheduled to retire from the utility industry. Nearly 40 percent of the utility industry workforce will be eligible to retire in the next five years, while significant growth is forecasted for the Northeast's natural gas infrastructure construction sector.

The college created the GUT program with industry collaborator Feeney Brothers Excavation, LLC, of Dorchester, MA. BHCC's Curriculum Committee and the College Forum approved the program on May 5, 2015. Students will be accepted into the program each fall and trained for employment in the gas utility industry.

The 62-credit, two-year program requires a minimum of four semesters to complete. It will prepare students through lectures, hands-on laboratory studies, paid winter intersession work experience, an eight-week paid summer internship and proctored testing by the Northeast Gas Association. Five of the six concentration courses will be offered at Feeney Brothers' state-of-the-art, 13,000-square-foot training facility in Fields Corner, Dorchester. Students will earn $16 per hour during the winter intersession and summer internship, sufficient to cover tuition.

For more information go to bhcc.mass.edu and see Gas Utility Technology Degree Option.

Upon successful completion of this degree option, students will receive an associate in science degree and have the experience and qualifications required to launch a career in gas utility construction. Graduates of the program will have the opportunity to work at Feeney Brothers and begin careers with the chance of rapid advancement.

Established in 1988, Feeney Brothers is a diversified utility contractor with more than 450 employees operating throughout the Northeast. For more information go to feeneybrothers.com.

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The college enrolls more than 14,000 students on two campuses and at three satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-seven percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The college also enrolls more than 850 international students who come from approximately 100 countries and speak more than 75 languages.

Featured

  • DLR Group Hires Higher Education Business Development Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that Senior Associate Megan Todd will serve as its new Higher Education Business Development Leader, according to a news release. Her responsibilities will include building the firm’s reach and client relationships in the California higher education sector, based out of San Diego.

  • Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

    Furnishing the Future: Adaptive Solutions for Modern Learning Spaces

    On this episode of Schools in Focus, we'll talk about the role that classroom furniture plays in creating adaptive, flexible learning spaces. Our guest is Wesley Edmonds, the Director of Workplace, Adaptive Solutions at OFS.

  • Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture Announces Merger with PBK

    Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture (CGD), based in South Carolina and Maryland, recently announced that it has merged with PBK, the largest K–12 architectural firm in the U.S., according to a news release. The firm will operate as Craig Gaulden Davis | PBK with 31 offices across the country.

  • Image courtesy of Armstrong International

    The Modern Hot Water System Approach to Keep Higher Education Buildings Safe and Operational

    Higher education campuses face unique structural and operational demands. With a range of old and new buildings, a variety of facility types, and ambitious sustainability goals, it's essential that no aspect of infrastructural performance is overlooked. Facility managers must be equipped to provide a safe, reliable and efficient space for students, faculty and guests.

Digital Edition