Planned San Jacinto College Facility Envisioned As Energy Training Hub

PASADENA, TX — Officials with San Jacinto College recently broke ground on a new $60 million facility that not only represents a partnership between the college and local industry leaders, but will play a significant role the growing economy in Pasadena and the energy industry.

San Jacinto College's Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology, a 145,000-square-foot training center, broke ground on Sept. 20, and will open to students in 2019. (Want to get daily news updates and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Pasadena Patch morning newsletter.)

The Center will house the associate degree and certificate programs in the areas of process technology, instrumentation, nondestructive testing and electrical. Employees with these skills play vital roles in every part of the construction, operating and maintenance of a petrochemical facility and in manufacturing.

“Our goal is to contribute to the Texas economy. New investment in Texas will generate $45 billion in new output, and support 195,000 permanent new jobs by 2023 in the industry and throughout the supply chain,” said Jim Griffin, associate vice chancellor / senior vice president for the petrochemical training division at San Jacinto College. “More than $13 billion in wages will go into the pockets of Texas workers. Increasing petrochemical, energy, and technology training will continue to bring more graduates into this state’s growing job market.”

The Texas Gulf Coast region is home to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the United States, second largest in the world, and is home to 90 companies and 130 plants.

The region is working to fill the pipeline with an increased number of certified workers due to $40 billion in announced projects and more than 50 percent of the current employee base retiring over the next few years, according to the East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA).

San Jacinto College is in a prime spot to help fill that demand, and has fostered solid relationships within the East Harris County Manufacturers Association, which will play a key role in the success of this new center.

“A lot of it has to do with just having historically great relationships between San Jacinto College and industry members, and these relationships started decades ago,” Griffin said.

Dr. Brenda Hellyer, the College’s Chancellor, took the initiative to talk with the EHCMA leadership board and ask for collaboration.

The board immediately responded to that request, and this resulted in a steering committee and subcommittee groups that are now spearheading the development of the Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology project

“From the beginning, this Center for Petrochemical, Energy, and Technology has been a collaboration with our industry partners,” Hellyer said. “There are many companies and individuals who have helped to make this happen by providing their time and input on everything from how the building should look, to the equipment that should be in the building, and the curriculum that we should be teaching. We appreciate their collaboration and participation into making this the premiere training facility along the Texas Gulf Coast.”