Educating The Gas Industry Since 1959

In 1959, an "in-house" training program was initiated by the Pacific Northwest Pipeline Corporation in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Many of Pacific Northwest's customers were invited to participate.  As an outgrowth of this initial training session, it was realized by the participants that a real need for such a program existed, and could be used as a vehicle to train and update their employees on all phases of the natural gas measurement and control sectors of the industry. As a result, the first Pacific Northwest Gas Measurement Short Course was held in 1960 in Seattle, Washington, hosted by Cascade Natural Gas Corporation. During the 1980s, the name of the Short Course was changed to the Western Gas Measurement Short Course, to accommodate California/Nevada utility representation and potentially other Western/South Western states.

 

The primary purpose of the Western Gas Measurement Short Course is to further the education of natural gas industry personnel in the specific areas of gas measurement and gas control. The Short Course is presented every two (2) years. It is held in the month of May, unless changed by a vote of the General Board.

 

The Western Gas Measurement Short Course differs from that of other such programs across the country in three ways:

 

1. It is held once every two years.

2. The location of the Short Course changes to permit the host company to hold it in close proximity to its service area

3. The host company role is rotated among those companies with a representative on the Board.

 

The objectives of the Western Gas Measurement Short Course are to collect and disseminate information available concerning equipment, operating and maintenance procedures and codes pertaining to the gas measurement and control sectors for the natural gas industry. The Short Course seeks to improve the quality of service to the mutual benefit of the public and the gas industry, while advancing the knowledge and learning of the gas industry personnel. By allowing gas industry manufacturers to attend, the Short Course stimulates the development of new products, procedures, and research programs for the gas industry.  And finally, the Short Course provides a clearing house for the exchange of information concerning the methods of study and instruction and the facilities available for further education in gas measurement and control.