For Job Seekers, a Fracking Fair Undeterred by New York State's delays in deciding whether to allow fracking for natural gas, Broome County Community College, a business group and a coalition of landowners are holding a "career and education expo" on Wednesday for residents interested in learning about jobs in the gas industry. Susan Oliver, a spokeswoman for the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, a group representing those who plan to lease their lands to gas companies for drilling, said the event would highlight the economic opportunities that natural gas development opens up, including jobs for engineers, land surveyors, mechanics, welders, and wildlife and wetlands specialists. It is to be held from 3 to 7 p.m. at the college, in Binghamton, N.Y., and there is no admission charge. Broome County is in the southern tier region bordering Pennsylvania, which expected to be the epicenter of drilling in New York State. Environmental regulators have spent years examining the controversial hydraulic fracturing or fracking process, which uses high volumes of water to extract gas, and the state has yet to give the go-ahead for the drilling. While opponents emphasize that drilling poses major environmental risks, supporters say it will give the area a significant economic boost. The job expo is also sponsored by Broome-Tioga Workforce New York, a partnership of government and businesses in Broome and Tioga Counties that offers employment services. The community college is developing a curriculum centered on natural gas development. Janet M. Hertzog, director of work force development at the community college, said the curriculum will start in June with a certification program for "roustabouts," as the general laborers who assist on well pads are called, that includes 133 hours of intensive training. She said the college, which will hold the training at the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Binghamton, is considering training for other specialties like production technician, welder and truck driver. Ms. Hertzog noted that while New York is deciding about fracking, Pennsylvania already offers the jobs. "We have a high unemployment rate in our area and for us, it's all about providing training to get jobs, whether in New York or Pennsylvania," she said.