Three petrochemical owner/operators whose employees have participated in tailored training programs, labs and other facilities at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology (CPET) at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas, agree that it provides an unparalleled learning experience.
During the recent CPET open house, Jim Griffin, associate vice chancellor of CPET, moderated an industry panel. In response to his question about the ROI on training, panel member Joe Thierry, reliability training specialist with Covestro, shared his insights:
"I reached out to the engineers to get feedback, and based on performance, understanding and ability to be more proficient at the job, the feedback has been phenomenal."
Sterling Stopkey, production manager with Oxy’s LaPorte, Texas, vinyl chloride monomer facility, also took part in the panel discussion. "If this training helps somebody better understand or troubleshoot an issue that reduces downtime or allows them to better make an adjustment on the pump seal or this or that, and we don’t have to call out maintenance, it quickly pays for itself in the long run."
CPET training aligns with long-term goals
Griffin asked panelists how CPET’s training aligns with their companies’ longterm goals. "I think with our company it aligns especially with the skills training, and getting to where we train and make sure our employees are confident in what they’re doing," said Richard Rivera, senior specialist with Celanese.
"It’s really building this pipeline, so we know we’re getting qualified, capable people in our organization," said Stopkey.
Thierry added that it hurts to invest in an employee only to have another company benefit from that investment when the employee leaves. He said that up front, his company brings the employee to a facility like CPET to invest in them, with the understanding that we "want to make them the best operator or the best engineer that we’re able to, and have that long-term investment and get a real return on what we put into that employee."
Collaboration between owner/operators and CPET
Griffin inquired about the collaboration between the owner/operators and CPET in customizing the program, including how they determined what to include or modify.
Stopkey replied the CPET team had been easy to work with. "Whatever you’re looking for, they find a way to make it happen — customize it and make sure you’re getting what you want. We’ve seen that."
As an example of this, Celanese was able to make a small portable mini unit through its collaboration with CPET. "It consisted of an Emerson DeltaV visual control system, two vessels, two pumps, pressure transmitters, pro transmitters and a level transmitter," Rivera said. He added that he and a colleague took a trainer class at CPET to learn how to operate it. The mini unit is now onsite, allowing them to train operators and other staff.
Thierry said Covestro wanted to make sure that its engineers, some of its trainers and other staff understood instrumentation. He and his team met with Jay Culver, director of the incumbent workforce at CPET, to talk about what they wanted from the program, "what gaps we saw and what assessments we found. We sat there and went through a process of tailoring the programs that we needed for our employees, and everything aligned."
Future demand, CPET program development for petrochemicals
The final question to the panel focused on the future demand and responsibilities in the petrochemical industry and whether CPET should improve or develop new programs to meet those needs. Rivera said Celanese was looking at some cost-effective operatorassisted maintenance classes at CPET.
Stopkey said that every petrochemical facility must work through compliance issues due to tougher environmental regulations. He said it wouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach but could be something that the industry develops with CPET.
AI was mentioned by Thierry as a game changer for the industry. "Those are the things that are on the horizon that I believe will be an opportunity for CPET."
