Mar 3, 2014

College of the Mainland, and the other eight community colleges of the ExxonMobil Community College Petrochemical Initiative (CCPI), will be out in full force at the 2014 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo March 4-23 at Reliant Park.

Representatives from each college will be located at the CCPI exhibit in the foyer of Reliant Center, between Halls A and B, ready to discuss job and career opportunities in the petrochemical and construction trades fields — and how to prepare for them.

Visitors to the rodeo are encouraged to stop by the ExxonMobil CCPI booth to discuss jobs and job training, and view a hands-on demonstration from an in-demand career field. As an added incentive, ExxonMobil CCPI will be giving away an Apple iPad each day of the rodeo.

The nine community colleges include COM, Galveston College, Alvin Community College, Brazosport College, Houston Community College, Lee College, Lone Star College, San Jacinto College and Wharton County Junior College. Each is a member of the initiative, created through a grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation, written by Mary Ann Amelang, to help colleges find and train the next generation of skilled workers for the petrochemical industry.

“We are excited about this opportunity at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,” said Bill Raley, COM Dean of Industrial Technology and member of the ExxonMobil CCPI Steering Committee. “Rodeo officials are telling us that all attendance indicators predict a record attendance at this year’s rodeo. Our hope is to have thousands of meaningful conversations with individuals interested in stable, well-paying and challenging jobs in the petrochemical industry.”

According to industry sources, petrochemical plants along the Texas Gulf Coast are spending more than $35 billion to expand facilities over the next decade. Those expansions, along with the retirement of existing workers, are expected to provide jobs for more than 50,000 skilled workers.

Gates open at 10 a.m. Participating colleges will rotate service at the rodeo according to the following schedule:

  • College of the Mainland – March 7, 13
  • Galveston College – March 6, 17
  • Houston Community College – March 8, 15
  • Lee College – March 12, 16
  • Lone Star College – March 4, 11, 21
  • San Jacinto College – March 5, 19
  • Wharton County Jr. College – March 9, 14
  • Alvin Community College – March 18, 22
  • Brazosport College – March 10, 20

Learn more about how the ExxonMobil CCPI can help prospective students and instructors athttp://gulfcoastcc.org/ccpi.php.