LyondellBasell CPET partners with TPC Group for operator training
The incumbent worker training program at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology (CPET) at San Jacinto College hosted operator training for TPC Group in March.
“We are proud of our training partnership with TPC Group,” said Jay Culver, CPET incumbent workforce training director. “At San Jac, we not only have a hand in the future of our industry but the present also. These workers are quite literally the boots on the ground of the petrochemical trade, and we are honored to be their training partner.”
The purpose of the training was to provide operators with hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment.
“Companies of our size often find it challenging to dedicate a large team to training or have access to out-of-service equipment for training purposes. As I learned more about San Jac, I was truly impressed by the capabilities, equipment, and the quality of instruction that was offered,” said Joshua Nehlig, TPC Group manufacturing performance and training director. “Since utilizing CPET training several times, we have evolved into a model that uses our own site personnel and subject matter experts combined with San Jac faculty and facilities to offer the best training to our employees.”
The goal for incumbent worker training is to offer course packages to industry partners to assist in training their employees in areas where they may be lacking. San Jacinto College instructors, along with educational partners and industry experts, lead the curriculum for each course.
The CPET facility houses degree programs in process technology, instrumentation, electrical, inspection technology, and environmental health and safety, but also offers industry certification courses in craft trades such as pipefitting, millwrighting, and E&I.
The building’s 35 labs, in addition to the 8,000-square-foot exterior glycol process unit and scaled model glass distillation plant, are all used for the degree programs and are fully available for incumbent worker training based on the needs and desires of industry.
“Being able to see the inner workings of the distillation towers and the condensers was great. When you are in the field, you see it from the outside but don’t know what is going on inside,” said Quentin Carda Jones, TPC Group north process operator. “What CPET has set up here is a work of art. Being hands-on with the glass lab and seeing the vapors rise and condense down is amazing. I think anyone who is working in the industry should experience this.”
Learn more about incumbent worker training at CPET.
About TPC Group
TPC Group is a leading producer of value-added products derived from petrochemical raw materials such as C4 hydrocarbons and a provider of critical infrastructure and logistics services along the Gulf Coast. Its products are sold into a wide range of performance, specialty, and intermediate segments, including synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, plastics, and surfactants. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with an operating history of more than 75 years, TPC Group has a manufacturing facility in the industrial corridor adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel and operates product terminals in Port Neches, Texas, and in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
