The Friends of Coal was on hand Wednesday at the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center for a day-long program, “Who Works the River?,” presented by the Mason County Schools and the Riverworks Discovery Center. The organization, along with the West Virginia Coal Association was a sponsor of the event and it also manned an informational booth and exhibit as part of the event.
More than 100 students from Point Pleasant Jr./Sr. High School, Hannan High School and Wahama High School attended the program organized by RiverWorks Discovery. RiverWorks Discovery is a national outreach education effort of the National River Center and Hall of Fame located at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.
“Who Works the River” involved students touring a towboat from Amherst and attending a deckhand training class hosted by American Electric Power’ River Division at Riverfront Park. Students then traveled to the Point Pleasant River Museum and Learning Center to use the pilothouse simulators with the help and guidance of retired riverboat Captains Steve Pearson and Robert Shaw. After a lunch break, students then returned to the river museum where they rotated to different stations manned by companies who employ people along the nation’s river ways. This allowed students to learn about the river industry, who is offering employment and what it takes to get a job with companies like Amherst, AEP, Marathon and more.
Errin Howard of RiverWorks said the “Who Works the River” program was initiated in Pittsburgh in 2010 and has been replicated in around 12 cities across the country, though Wednesday was the first time the program was held in Point Pleasant. Howard, and river museum staff, hope it becomes an annual event.
Howard said this program educates high school students on potential career paths that are river related. As Howard pointed out, a lot of these jobs pay well and hire students right out of high school, providing on-the-job training and some provide an opportunity to advance from positions of deckhands to pilot, to captain, for example.
Sponsors which provide financial support and often attend these programs are AEP River Operations, Amherst Madison, McGinnis, Marathon, Murray, West Virginia Coal Association, ABC Corporation, Huntington District Waterways Association. Partners, which attend these programs, are Mountwest Community and Technical College, The Seamen’s Church Institute, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.