Add your title

Partnering with businesses like bp, an integrated oil and gas company, provides students with a hands-on learning experience, allowing them to practice their classroom training in the real world. bp recently donated $96,000 to Lone Star College Foundation to benefit 15 LSC Process Technology students. 

“Our goal at Lone Star College is to provide industry-relevant instruction to our students that translates into lucrative career opportunities,” said Roger Chambers, Ph.D., LSC-Process Technology Center instruction dean. “Lone Star College-Process Technology Center is excited to partner with bp to provide our students with a competitive look and edge into their chosen fields once they graduate from Lone Star College.”

LSC’s partnership with bp will help process technology students like Ericka Richard further their education and training to attain a competitive position in the industry. Richard tried twice to earn a college degree but faced obstacles. After working in the construction industry, she decided to try again, finally finding her stride when she enrolled in the LSC Process Technology program.  

“I worked in construction for many years, but I wanted to advance to the next level in my career,” she said. “I knew Lone Star College’s Process Technology program would be a good fit because I can utilize my construction background while learning and training in other related fields.”

The bp apprenticeship and scholarship program with LSC will help to develop talented technicians to support bp’s onshore and offshore oil and gas businesses. Selected students will receive training on safety procedures and bp’s operations and six-to-12-month on-the-job training rotations and mentoring opportunities. They will also work with bp’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico and bpx. 

Richard and five other process technology students participated in the bp’s Gulf of Mexico and bpx experience, where they shadowed employees for one week on land and one week offshore. This opportunity gave students a closer view of process technology and how various companies can use it in their operations. 

“These incredible opportunities helped me apply what I’ve learned in the classroom to real-world experiences that I can expect to face in my future career,” said Richard. 

Richard graduated from the LSC Process Technology program in May. She will use her bp scholarship to earn a Bachelor of Applied Science in Energy, Manufacturing and Trades Management through LSC. Richard plans to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry. 

Lone Star College-Process Technology Center, a satellite facility of LSC-Kingwood, opened in January 2018. The state-of-the-art building houses the process technology and instrumentation technology programs to prepare graduates for entry-level careers in the petrochemical, plastics, food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Learn more at LoneStar.edu/LSC-Process-Technology-Center.