| Camps point students toward petrochemical occupations
By sponsoring summer career camps, industry and local colleges are encouraging children to plan early for employment in the petrochemical and energy field. Shell Deer Park and Shell Corporate are among local companies supporting EnergyVenture, summer camps for students 12 years old and up. Offering boys and girls a panoramic view of Houston's fastest-growing industry, five weeklong camps start June 16, June 23, July 7, July 14 and July 21.
EnergyVenture is a workforce strategy fostered by the East Harris Manufacturers Association (EHCMA), San Jacinto College, Lee College, College of the Mainland and Brazosport College. The academic camps are designed to boost the image of the petrochemical industry in the eyes of Houston children and their parents and improve the overall quality of Houston's future workforce.
Shell Corporate is a gold sponsor of the program. Shell Deer Park is providing speakers for the intensive camps held at Baytown Lee College and San Jacinto College's Central Campus in Pasadena and North Campus in Houston.
Alex Charles and Eddie Gibbs, who are Human Resources' Learning and Development representatives, signed up to participate on the speaker panels. Charles plans to discuss his 18-year experience as a process operator and share some of the challenges and benefits of working in a manufacturing complex. "I want to give these youths a good overview of what it is like to work on shifts and what the job forecast and compensation levels will look like in the years ahead," he says.
Another objective is to encourage female students to consider petrochemical careers. Therefore, panel discussions will try to shatter perceptions of the industry's inaccessibility to women. "We want to highlight women's accomplishments and let the young ladies know that the industry is open to them," says Charles.
Students can expect exciting discoveries while engaging in interactive learning. They will perform lab experiments, hear speakers discuss their areas of expertise, and get their questions answered by a professional panel. They will visit an energy-related production facility, research the industry over the Internet and learn how the petrochemical and refining industries touch consumers' lives in myriad ways. They can win prizes for best-in-class and their team's efforts.
EnergyVenture intends to bring students back in the winter for a reunion. Program officials also want to communicate with attendees throughout the year to maintain their interest and encourage them to take the math and science courses they need in high school. EnergyVenture will keep these next-generation chemists, engineers and operators advancing in the program until they are ready to interview for jobs at area petrochemical facilities.
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