How the Oil Boom Changed Colleges in the Oil Patch - 26,000 New Oil Wells by 2037

North Dakota needs 100s of additional workers for the Oil & Natural Gas Industry in an Oil Boom set to last to mid-century. Colleges and Universities are ready to serve this workers with much needed short-term training at the cost of the employer and under various grant funding.

The locations of colleges and universities in North Dakota roughly follow a grid of lines along Highway 2, I-94, and I-29/Highway 81. This grid, especially in the western half of the state, encompasses the Williston Basin and Bakken oil fields (see map below). The colleges and universities along this grid have begun to develop short-term classes for training and certifications that oil field workers need.

Since 2009 and an oil boom that has increased jobs and strengthened the economy of Northwestern North Dakota, the state's colleges and universities have examined their course and degree offerings with an eye toward matching them more closely to the needs of the Oil & Natural Gas Industry.

The Oil Patch needs the usual people for operating drilling rigs, pumpjacks, and other machines and rigs; but requires many more types of jobs than many expected.

Other high demand jobs include those of air gun operators, seismic drillers and helpers, surveyors, managers, engineers, welders, medics, chemists, biologists, environmentalists, technologists, cooks, computer programmers, and dozens more. Employers have begun sending workers to local colleges and universities for short-term certifications in safety, CDL licensing and many more skills.

Williston State College became the first venue in North Dakota to offer GED (high school diploma equivalency) testing online on March 6, 2012.

This happened in the school's Adult Learning Center where GED classes are taught to help community residents enter the local high demand job market. This is the Oil Boom.

Hundreds of oil workers that are nontraditional students arrive at Williston State College on a daily basis to learn the materials in safety courses and study related materials for their jobs in the Oil Boom.

Adding additional services and more classes that will help this pool of workers will keep the doors to Williston open, so the leadership of the school decided for an ongoing program of improvements to serve this population. The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ending brought yet more nontraditional students to Williston and other colleges in the form of US Veterans.

Jobs increased 50,000% from 2010 to 2012 alone in the state and oilfield jobs are still in high demand in 2024. Because of this, Williston quickly added a four-year business degree to equip workers to become managers in oil and natural gas. Students increased enrollment from all over the state.

Williston offers dozens of oil field classes in safety, first aid, office management, CDL, computer training, and other useful courses for certification short-term.

The National Center for Education Statistics tells us that 38% of college-enrolled persons are over the age of 25 in the 2020s. Thus, academic cohorts are aging on average along with the America's aging population.

Many downsized/laid off workers and displaced homemakers attend college in their late 30s to 50s. The percentage of students in 2- or 4-year colleges in 2019-2022 over 25 years of age was 61% of total enrolled students.

Chancellor Bill Goetz of the North Dakota University System called a meeting of College and University Presidents from Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, Minot State University, and Williston State College to delineate a clear picture of the changes that need to be made in schools in and near the Oil Patch.

Employers are picking up the cost of a lot of the TrainND certifications and short-term classes at Williston State College and others like it. Some are also furnishing meals and other perk while in the oil field. The long hours result in even high er pay.

Williston - Minot - New Town Oil Field

• Dickinson State University- Dickinson, North Dakota
• Fort Berthold Community College in New Town, North Dakota. The MHA combined Native American Nation own much of the oil-containing land in the Bakken deposit. Offers courses and certifications in Welding and Environmental Science appropriate to the oil field.
• Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota; Bottineau, North Dakota
• Williston State College in Williston, North Dakota

Bismarck Metro Area and Jamestown

• Bismarck State College in Bismarck
• Jamestown College in Jamestown
• United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck
• University of Mary in Bismarck

Nearest the Fargo-Grand Forks Area

• Mayville State University in Mayville
• North Dakota State University - Main Campus in Fargo
• University of North Dakota in Grand Forks
• Valley City State University in Valley City

Other North Dakota Colleges

• Cankdeska Cikana Community College in Fort Totten
• Lake Region State College in Devils Lake
• North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton
• Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates
• Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt

• Education.org - Directory of Campus and Online Schools & Degrees: Williston College
• Old School: College's Most Important Trend is the Rise of the Adult Student - Frederick Hess: America needs to get better at teaching old(er) dogs new tricks.
• Train ND: It takes the right training to improve, grow, and succeed. - We expand opportunities for businesses in North Dakota by training your employees to achieve more. Whether you’re training IT professionals, managers,
• WSC-Safety and Other Training through TrainND: Williston Stat eoffers dozens of classes for the oil field.