Richard Nichols, right, of Waynesburg, Pa., adjusts his escape respirator at the Mining Technology and Training Center in Ruff Creek, Pa.

RUFF CREEK, Pa. — Workers stand in the dark void lit only by the lights on their mining helmets, stacking blocks of wood from the ground up to build a "crib," or roof support, in a weak spot in a simulated coal mine.

Though conditions in the mine are simulated, the crib-building exercise and others are designed to give would-be miners experience with the kinds of safety work they'll face in an actual mine.

It's part of a nine-week program designed to provide more training than the 40 hours of basic health and safety training for underground miners that is required by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Underground mining has changed and the need for more extensive training has grown, said Clemmy Allen, executive director of United Mine Workers of America Career Centers Inc., which runs the training program in southwestern Pennsylvania.

"It's not your dad's coal mine," Allen said. "I mean, it's not back when you were doing pick and shovel kind of stuff and a lot of back work. It's a lot of electronics now. It's a highly technical industry."

Participants in the program will complete 360 hours of training, after which they receive a certificate from Penn State University, along with the federal certification. The training program is free, participants don't get paid and there's no guarantee of a job when they complete the course.

"These are going to be the best trained people coming into the coal mines as new and experienced miners," Allen said. "There's no question about it. These are the kind of people companies should want to hire."

Past students who have found coal mining jobs have come back to laud the program, saying it put them far ahead of those with less training, said instructor Larry Martelli.

The training includes about 100 hours in the simulated mine. Class training includes learning how to properly ventilate a mine, how to clear out water, how to test if a roof is solid and shore it up if it's not, and how to communicate underground using wired systems and by signaling with their head lamps. They also learn CPR and visit three working mines to satisfy part of the federal training.

Many trainees say they try not to think about recent mine tragedies. Trainees said the lure of a good paying, steady job is what draws them to the mines. Union miners can make about $25 an hour and with overtime, more than $50,000 a year; electricians, mechanics and other specialized workers can make more than $70,000.