One of the most pressing challenges facing the industry today is the development of an educated, trained and qualified workforce. To help tackle this challenge, JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) launched a five-year, $250 million global workforce skills gap initiative. As part of the initiative, JPMC will work with East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a nonprofit focused on facilitating meaningful learning and skills training for adults, to create a local version of their national skills gap platform.
The Houston-specific version of the Career Action Platform (CAP), an interactive website, is being built to help students and job seekers identify opportunities available to them. Using the career description content of EHCMA member companies, the website will employ a matchmaking mechanism to align skills, competencies and interests with careers in the industry. The platform will also feature career maps, which will help candidates identify the opportunities for transition within careers and help connect them to the right certification and training programs.
“EHCMA sees this partnership with JPMC as a tremendous opportunity to showcase careers available in the petrochemical sector, assist in increasing employment in the Houston region, and provide guidance to job seekers on the necessary education and skills needed for successful employment,” said Craig Beskid, executive director of EHCMA. “Ultimately, the CAP will assist with building an educated and available workforce for careers in our growing region.”
According to Beskid, there has been active participation of many EHCMA members, as evidenced by their role in the design and content development for the platform. This industry expertise has been invaluable as participants help uncover career paths within the industry, develop common language with which to describe high-demand occupations and identify tar-get audiences.
“EHCMA is excited to be a part of building this platform to help job seekers find opportunities in our industry,” Beskid said. “The design and content of the CAP is based on participation by hiring, recruiting, training and content experts of a great many of EHCMA’s petrochemical members. We understand we must take an active role in order to meet our current and future workforce needs, and we have provided the knowledge and expertise on the types of positions available and what skillsets we are seeking to better match potential candidates with opportunities available.”
The platform is being tested along the way by student focus groups from San Jacinto College and Lee College, and the group expects it to launch in March. CAEL is the organization responsible for developing the platform, facilitating the content generation and validation process with Houston employers and education providers, and orchestrating the communication and outreach efforts once the site launches.
“Employers, educators and economic development organizations all share in our region’s workforce challenges,” said Carolyn Watson, vice president, Corporate Responsibility, JPMC. “Through the CAP design process, it’s gratifying to see all these parties at the table working collaboratively toward solutions.”
The website will be constructed to allow for expansion across the Gulf Coast as new employer and educational partners come on board.
“Workforce development is essential to the future of our industry,” said Deedra Moe, EHCMA Community Relations Committee chair and ExxonMobil Baytown Area public and government affairs manager. “ExxonMobil has been involved with the Energize Houston initiative to build and develop the next generation of petrochemical workers for several years, and we see this platform as building upon the great work the Houston area community colleges have done to build awareness and increase the pipeline of workers for our industry.”
For more information, visit www.ehcma.com or call (281) 334-909
