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Legislative Policy Forum: Supporting Our Workforce

Published Aug 26, 2022 by Glen Austin

legislative policy forum san jacinto.jpg

LR: Peter Beard, David Gosnay, Stacy Putman, Monty Heins, Brenda Hellyar

Petrochemical industry leaders from INEOS, LyondellBasell, and DOW Chemical gathered at San Jacinto College's Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology (CPET), on August 25 to discuss their longstanding and successful partnerships with the institution.

In addition to providing two-year technical degrees, San Jacinto College creates opportunities for its students through apprenticeships with industry partners—an important tool in creating a long-term pipeline of skilled workers trained to the industry's specific needs.

"Our biggest challenge is getting skilled people. That is the beauty of a facility like this one—it allows us to come here and train to the levels needed", Stacy Putman (INEOS) explained, "you get an investment and a commitment coming out of the program."    

Talent and the skills the region’s labor force possesses are the currency for companies and the region to compete nationally and globally in a knowledge-based, technology enabled economy. Fundamentally, people + productivity = economic growth. This also creates long-term economic prosperity for individuals, companies, and regions. Ultimately, Houston and the State of Texas aspire for Houston to be the #1 petrochemical complex in the world, driven by the state’s natural resources, the technologies it has developed, and the skills of its workforce. 

In order to solidify this positioning, community colleges must be viewed as the indispensable institutions that prepare the future workforce and upskill the existing workforce in an economy where skills are changing at an increasingly rapid rate. Their ability to engage with industry and business positions community colleges to be agile and adaptable in an economy that is changing at a pace never seen before.

Partnerships between industry and educational institutions, exemplified by CPET, are fueling the Houston region’s continued economic growth and success.
 

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