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Oil giant BP announced that it will give $2.25 million in grants to six Louisiana technical colleges over the next three years to improve their math and science sectors. Fletcher Technical and Community College will receive $825,000 over the next three years, which will help implement a new associate’s degree in integrated production technologies.
The move was inspired in part by what BP executives called “the great crew change,” as a major portion of its workforce nears retirement.
“Over the next few years, we estimate 40 percent of our off shore workforce will be ready to retire. So if production is going to continue, and let alone expand like we need it to, we need to not only replace those retirees, but we’ve got to increase the workforce,” said BP’s Senior Vice President James Dupree.
“A challenge of this magnitude wasn’t going to solve itself. We needed a strategic approach. The petrotechnical partnership, which we’re announcing today is a result of that,” said Dupree.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Charlie Melancon were on hand to promote an expanded partnership between private industry and education.
“When I was here for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of this building, it struck me that perhaps stronger partnership between our industry and our state, and if we took some initiatives that the federal government could come up with, we could give our people the opportunity they need to earn a wage that could lift them well into the middle class and beyond,” Landrieu said.
The announcement at BP’s Operations Learning Center in Schriever on Friday came as welcome news to an education system that’s been subject to several rounds of budget cuts in recent years.
“As a country, what BP is doing here, and what other companies are doing around the country, is the partnering that America has always needed. Government can’t do everything for everybody all the time,” said Melancon.
The donations were also prompted by the increasingly technological nature of the oil field industry. Where once oil drilling was about muscle and dirt, finding new pockets of oil in the Gulf is driven by technology, and more and more requires a well-educated workforce.
“The best technology in the world is useless without skilled people trained to get the best out of the technology, and that’s what the people of Louisiana can do,” said Dupree.
BP’s investment in Louisiana’s community colleges comes at a time when the state’s higher education system is struggling to keep afloat. Area legislators attended to promote the private sector continuing to fund education as the state’s ongoing budget crisis hinders their ability to expand.
“I said to BP, which I intend to say to every company large and small, if you have any money hanging around, you could maybe think about partnering with some of our schools, because we have some fabulous institutions and with a little bit of help we could really bring some excellent training opportunities,” said Landrieu. “I just hope that this is a new beginning of really some very smart thinking and strategic investments in really what matters, and that is the people in this industry.”
According to Fletcher Technical Community College’s Chancellor Travis Lavigne, partnering with the industries is beneficial to both the students and the industry.
“Once the companies have blessed the curriculum and have a direct involvement to decide what content goes in there and what skill sets students should come out with, then they have confidence in students that complete the program,” said Lavigne. “That insures that we’re providing for the needs of both of our customers: our students and the industry.”
Although Landrieu lauded BP’s efforts to help area colleges, she also warned that the government and the community cannot rely on industry to fund improvements in education, and warned about continuing cuts to education.
“We can’t expect the industry to fill in all the gaps. It’s not their role, but to step up when they can, we’re very appreciative for that,” said Landrieu. “I realize everybody has to tighten their budget and tighten their belts, but we can’t tighten the belts so tightly around opportunity for our people that we choke off their economic future.”
Dr. Joe D. May (at podium), president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, accepts a $2.25 million grant from BP at a public ceremony Friday to improve oil industry-related training in south Louisiana. * Photo by BRETT SCHWEINBERG
