Bismarck State College's reputation as a leading provider of education for the energy industry was noted by a U.S. Department of Energy official this week during a U.S. Senate committee hearing.

The college was cited as an example of a successful public-private partnership working to ensure training and education opportunities for the energy industry during testimony Nov. 6 at a U.S. Senate Committee Hearing of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

BSC President Larry Skogen and BSC Vice President of Energy Technology Programs Kari L. Knudson were present at the hearing during testimony by Patricia A. Hoffman, a deputy director within DOE.

Skogen says, "BSC has uniquely positioned itself as the leading source of education for the energy industry. The fact that we were used as the example in her testimony is another indicator that we are poised to help solve the nation's need for highly skilled energy industry workers now and in the future."

Hoffman is Deputy Director of R&D and Acting Chief Operating Officer of the DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability. Her testimony concerned the nation's domestic energy sector workforce and the strong need for the U.S. to invest in a vibrant workforce because of looming retirements in the industry, among other related issues.

In her testimony about BSC, Hoffman said: "One example of a successful public-private partnership . is the Department's designation of Bismarck State College in North Dakota as a National Power Plant Operations Technology and Educational Center. Bismarck State's programs in power plant, process plant, electric power, electrical transmission systems, and nuclear power technologies will educate and train many of our future energy sector workers. It also uses the latest technologies via the internet and training simulations to speed up the knowledge transfer process."

Skogen and Knudson were in Washington to meet with the DOE, the National Science Foundation, North Dakota's congressional delegation and other agencies. He says BSC is seeking the means to be the lead college in a national consortium of energy workforce educators.