Below is an article as it was written in the Summer/Fall 2014 "IMPACT"
a publication of the Dow Chemical Company's Operations in California
on left: Los Medanos college students tour Dow Pittsburg operations. on right: William
Cruz (LMC), Jeff Noyer (Dow), Kevin Murray (Dow), Dr. A'Kilah Moore (lMC) and Ana
Castro (LMC) team up to schedule on-site tours for students in the PTEC and ETEC programs.
On a warm spring day in April, 35 Los Medanos College (LMC) students gathered at Dow Pittsburg Operations for an eye-opening tour. The visitors stretched their necks for a glimpse of the different pipes and structures being pointed out by Dow's Safety Technician, Kevin Murray, as he drove them around the site and then to an active control room.
"This curriculum helps open doors to solid, well-paying careers as process technicians. It's very rewarding to know that my efforts help position students for a potential higher standard of living."
– Scott Sechler, Project Engineer, Dow
Once there, the students in LMC's Process Technology (PTEC) and Electrical and Instrumental Technology (ETEC) programs received a warm welcome from Dow plant operators. The operators encouraged the students to ask questions about how they came to work at Dow and about their careers paths. For these students, this two hour tour was an inside look at what their everyday work environment could be in a few months.
Contra Costa County is home to a number of advanced manufacturing careers in the chemical and refining industries. Recognizing a lack of educational training for these highly skilled jobs, Fred Burmann, a senior instrument technologist at Dow, worked with the LMC advisory board to create the ETEC program in 2005. "It bothered me that we didn't have a program locally," said Fred.
Above: Los Medanos College students and instructors are briefed on site safety procedures before entering the plant.
The ETEC curriculum allows students to gain job certifications and earn associate degrees in electrical technology or instrument technology. The first classes began at LMC in 2006, followed by a similar program for PTEC certifications. Now the community college is one of 43 in the country, and the only one in northern California, to offer ETEC and PTEC programs. Burmann is one of six Dow employees who support the ETEC and PTEC programs at LMC. Another is Scott Sechler, a project engineer for Dow who's been part of the PTEC program since its beginning in 2006. To date, he's taught more than 500 students. "This curriculum helps open doors to solid, well-paying careers as process technicians," said Scott. "It's very rewarding to know that my efforts help position students for a potential higher standard of living."
For Casey Pierce, a 2012 LMC PTEC graduate and now a Dow operations technician, the PTEC program provided an opportunity for growth in a stalled career as a contractor. During his two-year coursework, he interned for Dow and was quickly hired full-time as an employee after graduating. "PTEC is essential for anyone going into operations to understand how different processes work," said Casey. Now when students tour his chemical plant, Pierce can share with them the value of the LMC programs from his own personal experience.
Elizabeth Knazs, quality coordinator for Dow, oversees the internship program for LMC students. Knazs sets ambitious goals for the interns and hopes they will be hired full-time. As an additional motivator, all graduates of the PTEC program are guaranteed an interview with Dow.
The reasons that students apply for these LMC programs vary from the rewarding income to the high employment rate to job satisfaction. Whatever the motivation, it is clear that the community has benefited greatly from this public-private partnership.
Los Medanos College (LMC) is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District. LMC prepares students to excel and succeed economically, socially and intellectually in an innovative, engaging and supportive learning environment. It provides quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities to serve the needs of a rapidly growing and changing East County while enhancing the quality of life of the diverse communities it serves. LMC is located on 120 acres between Pittsburg and Antioch, with an additional education center in Brentwood.