Industrial Worker Shortage in Texas Inspires Makeshift Colleges
Cowboys are moving aside for the nuclear power process technicians of the world. Well, they are in Texas at least.
A shortage of vocationally-trained workers has prompted various communities in the Texas Gulf Coast region to organize programs to groom students for specialized positions. (Think welders and machinists.) Liberty County, located two counties over from Houston, formed Liberty County Workforce Academy to prepare for the shortage, which will result from petrochemical plant expansions in neighboring Jefferson County. In order to familiarize surrounding areas with the program, the county launched a five-month pilot session that finished up two months ago in May, which was well received by many of those who participated.
Meanwhile, Matagorda County (about three counties over from Liberty) renovated an abandoned Kmart building into a training center for nuclear power plant workers. Students taught there will hopefully fill jobs generated because of the South Texas Project, a local plant that transforms nuclear energy into electricity and that is set to double in size in the next few years.
Former farmhand and self-proclaimed cowboy Tyler Adams, 19, intends to take advantage of a scholarship that will fund his classes at the nearby training facility. Nuclear power process technicians pull in about $60,000 a year, which Adams admits he will need if he ever wants to start a family of his own.
The makeshift academy in Liberty County (and the inspiration for the Matagorda program) operated night classes with the help of community college instructors. Participants covered topics like welding, process technology, and industrial maintenance. In preparation for the upcoming fall session, the directors have set up additional locations and included course material in subjects like diesel mechanics. Certification training will also be available for technicians involved in the emergency medical, dental, and nursing fields.
Essentially, Texas has started to create institutions that pick up where vocational training leaves off in high school, allowing students who wouldn’t normally attend college to receive the training they need for these specialized jobs. Many of the courses offered through this program also count towards associate degrees if the participants choose to continue on with their education.
Because of impending refinery expansions in the Gulf Coast region that look to total $15 billion, authorities project a shortage of close to 12,000 industrial workers in process technology, maintenance, and construction jobs in Texas. The Matagorda territory in particular has years before the applications for their plant renovations go through, but the programs are eager to start training students now. The paid apprenticeships at the plants require two-year technical associate degrees, and the actual apprenticeships can take several years to complete. In addition to the technology programs, the Matagorda facility plans to bring in technical college instructors to cover the construction trades.
Even though public schools are lessening their emphasis in vocational education, the industrial growth in Texas proves that college graduates with technical degrees will be in high demand in the upcoming years. Our site includes extensive information on colleges in Texas, many of which happen to be technical schools.
So if you are looking for skill-based job opportunities, remember that employers in Texas are on the hunt for ambitious workers. The projected shortage has inspired communities to form their own schools, but these programs can only offers students preliminary training. If you are serious about making one of the trades outlined above your livelihood, you will need a more advanced degree from an established school, and CollegeCourses.com is the perfect place to start your research.