The ear-piercing sound of helicopters’ blades fighting with the airspace above a classroom would serve as a nuisance to any other teacher. But to Terrebonne Career and Technical High School’s (TCT) Oil and Gas teacher Thomas Shanklin, it serves as a melodic reminder the oil and gas industry is an ever-present juggernaut in Houma, Louisiana.
“We’re right next to the airport, and we’re smack in the middle of the Louisiana oil industry,” said Shanklin, who noted Houma’s airport is the second busiest helicopter airport in the world. “There are a few hundred oil and gas companies located within miles of here. So as I’m teaching the class during the day, there’s constant helicopter traffic that’s coming in and out; people are going offshore and coming back. It’s a constant reminder that oil and gas industry workers are definitely needed.”
TCT is a career and technical high school with approximately 19 different areas of concentration and a mission to provide its students the opportunity to master appropriate social, vocational and communication skills as a foundation for future educational pursuits.
“We have welding, carpentry and automotive technician programs, just to name a few,” said William Simmons, TCT’s principal. “We’re not just a one kind of industry school. We are trying to fit that need and make that connection to living the American dream.”
TCT’s Oil and Gas program
And that connection “to living the American dream” was expanded this fall to include the Oil and Gas program. Although the program is in its infant stage and had a shortened recruitment time, it currently has 40 area students. Moreover, it is funded through the Louisiana Department of Education’s Jump Start grant, which awarded $74,000 among four districts in Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes.
Female high school students have also shown an interest in the program. Currently, 11 females — who make up about 28 percent of the program’s population — are enrolled. This makes TCT’s Oil and Gas program one of the most gender diversified in the state.
Not only is the program among one of the most varied in regards to gender, but it also has a strong industry connection in J. Schneider & Associates Ltd. The company was formed in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1983 to assist the oil and gas industry in complying with federal, state and local regulatory requirements. The business trained Shanklin and provides the curriculum that is used for the courses.
“The high school students receive the same training and certification employees in the industry receive,” said Susan Norris, J. Schneider & Associates’ high school education liaison. “Also, the curriculum is driven by government regulations and current industry standards.”
This curriculum incorporates an interactive lab with pneumatic devices on which the students can train. “That’s part of the Safety Systems T2 certification program,” said Shanklin. “It’s basically how you set the levels. We’re also going to train on the equipment at J. Schneider & Associates, and we have access to the equipment at Fletcher Technical Community College.”
Students completing the courses can earn dual enrollment at Fletcher Technical Community College located in Houma. The students will also earn their Safety Systems T2 certification and take the appropriate exit exams, which allow them to head straight into the workforce after graduation.
“We will be able to get the students into entry-level positions,” said Shanklin. “We’re going to have job placement, too.” J. Schneider & Associates also assists with job placement. “We host an annual job fair where several prominent oil and gas companies come to interview the students, and some students are hired on the spot,” added Norris.
For more information, visit http://tct-tpsd-la.schoolloop.com or call (985) 851-1163.
