The job readiness and advancement potential of Penn College graduates was impressively in evidence at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center on Thursday, as Schramm Inc. – which employs a number of alumni and provides scholarships, internships and other ongoing educational opportunities for students – demonstrated a T130XD mobile drilling rig in the School of Natural Resources Management parking lot. The 97,000-pound rig, manufactured in West Chester and carrying a $1.2 million price tag, drew attention from a variety of majors, including diesel, heavy equipment and welding. Accompanying the rig were technical field representatives Phil Delazio, a 2010 alumnus of the college's heavy construction equipment technology: Caterpillar equipment emphasis major, and Jeff Roten. Schramm officials have noted the attractiveness of Penn College graduates' get-right-to-work qualifications, remarks borne out by the day's returnee. "I graduated on a Friday and was on a service call Monday morning," said Delazio, who maintains 25 rigs in the shale gas areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio – and whose truck odometer reflects 57,000 travel miles in just 11 months. "Most of our new hires are from Penn College; in welding, manufacturing, service ... just about every department has at least one graduate from here." The T130XD rig has been exhibited for students before, but it is also a familiar presence on the international stage. It (and Roten) played a major role in reaching and rescuing 33 trapped Chilean copper miners in October 2010. Roten's advice to students: "Think big!"
The job readiness and advancement potential of Penn College graduates was impressively in evidence at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center on Thursday, as Schramm Inc. – which employs a number of alumni and provides scholarships, internships and other ongoing educational opportunities for students – demonstrated a T130XD mobile drilling rig in the School of Natural Resources Management parking lot. The 97,000-pound rig, manufactured in West Chester and carrying a $1.2 million price tag, drew attention from a variety of majors, including diesel, heavy equipment and welding. Accompanying the rig were technical field representatives Phil Delazio, a 2010 alumnus of the college's heavy construction equipment technology: Caterpillar equipment emphasis major, and Jeff Roten. Schramm officials have noted the attractiveness of Penn College graduates' get-right-to-work qualifications, remarks borne out by the day's returnee. "I graduated on a Friday and was on a service call Monday morning," said Delazio, who maintains 25 rigs in the shale gas areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio – and whose truck odometer reflects 57,000 travel miles in just 11 months. "Most of our new hires are from Penn College; in welding, manufacturing, service ... just about every department has at least one graduate from here." The T130XD rig has been exhibited for students before, but it is also a familiar presence on the international stage. It (and Roten) played a major role in reaching and rescuing 33 trapped Chilean copper miners in October 2010. Roten's advice to students: "Think big!"