Thanks to abundant shale and natural gas development, there is no shortage of opportunities for those who seek a career within the U.S. petrochemical industry.
As many as 264 new projects valued at $164 billion include brand-new facilities, major renovations and the restarting of facilities that have been mothballed. About 40 percent of those projects are either completed or underway; another 55 percent are in the planning stages.
“What continues to be very impressive is that over 50 percent of the projects are from companies headquartered outside of the U.S.,” noted Melissa Hockstad, vice president of petrochemicals for American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), speaking to delegates at the Petrochemical Workforce Development Conference held recently in Houston. “These companies realize that the United States is where it’s really happening when it comes to new projects and new opportunities.
“That’s the good news. But we still see a lot of challenges at hand.”
A predominant challenge, Hockstad said, is addressing a decreasing trend in students enrolling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pro-grams that are essential to careers in the petrochemical industry.
“The latest report by the National Science Foundation tells us that we have some challenges on the STEM front,” she said. “There has been a stag-nation in the number of U.S. students getting bachelor’s degrees in engineering. It’s been stuck at about 5 percent for a number of years. Compare that to China, where it is about 32 percent.”
Additionally, Hockstad said, the percentage of women in STEM fields — including computer science, math, physics and engineering — is declining.
“In 2014, it was at about 25 percent. In 2016, we are down to a little over 21 percent,” Hockstad stated. “These are real factors that we need to keep in mind as we’re thinking about where we can find the next generation of workers for our industry.”
AFPM is focused on helping the petrochemical industry meet these workforce development challenges, Hockstad said.
“We believe AFPM makes an impact by attracting people to the industry and making them aware of the range of opportunities through its educational and outreach initiatives,” she said. “For example, if someone wants to be a welder or a chemist, what is the path they need to take for education or training? What is the process they need to follow? We have to hire them, develop them into great employees and then keep these individuals in the workforce.”
Workforce development partnerships are essential to increase awareness of opportunities for petrochemical careers. “There is strength in numbers,” Hockstad said.
AFPM’s Recruitment Challenge program targets millennials aged 18-34 to con-sider petrochemical careers. Additionally, AFPM’s EdVenture Partners, an innovative industry and education partnership, develops industry projects as part of students’ coursework.
Participating schools in Texas include Lone Star College, Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas A&M University, University of Houston and University of Texas — Arlington.
Further, AFPM recruits mentors via East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA), American Jobs for American Heroes, NCCER and other industry organizations, providing industry insight and offering honest and constructive feedback to students.
Challenges to workforce development are not going to go away, Hockstad said.
“There are ups and downs in our industry,” she concluded. “We can’t get complacent. Our industry relies on the talent, skills and capacities of our people. Working together is going to be critical for us moving forward.”
For more information and ongoing industry updates, visit www.afpm.org or BICMagazine.com.