Peter Beard from the Greater Houston Partnership shared information from a recent survey of industrial employment in the area.  Beard serves on the PetrochemWorks steering committee, which focuses on both petrochemical industry and construction jobs. He said employers are the best source of information about the jobs needed in the future. Local petrochemical job openings are created primarily by attrition, such as retirements, and plant expansion. The kind of workforce needed is affected by ever changing factors. For example, the use of digital technology is affecting the kind of industry jobs, and greater use of prefabricated construction is changing the need for construction jobs.

There are not enough skilled crafts people to meet the current demand. Employers are looking not only for more workers but also high-quality workers.  Beard reminded PCAC of something they have heard for more than 5 years:  there are good paying jobs available that may require education beyond high school but not a 4-year degree.   The presentations ended with a reminder about www.PetrochemWorks.com, a valuable resource for those seeking jobs, sponsored by the East Harris County Manufacturers Association and others.

Mark Staes, the Training Manager at the LyondellBasell Houston Refinery, described some of the innovations used in training new hires and existing employees. The refinery has a process simulation center where workers using computers are confronted with scenarios that help them learn to operate a chemical production unit, for example, under both normal operations and during a realistic pretend problem.  Another innovative technology used at LyondellBasell is 3-D animation of parts of the plant. The animation can be worked into the simulator training.

Downloads:
Agenda 9-25-18
Meeting Notes 9-25-18

Posted in Education and Training, Uncategorized