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TSSB Recognizes Process Technology Program at Alvin Community College

October, 2009 - The Texas Skill Standards Board (TSSB) granted program recognition under its replication policy to the Process Technology Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree at Alvin Community College. The program was recognized as being integrated with the Chemical/Refining Process Technician Skill Standards.

The skill standards enhanced program, which was endorsed by its industry advisory committee, will benefit both employers and graduates. Graduates will gain the work competencies—skills and knowledge—that employers have agreed are required for success in process technology positions. Employers in turn will gain a more qualified workforce.

The Chemical/Refining Process Technician Standards define the knowledge and skills that are required for entry-level process technician employees across the chemical, oil, and gas exploration and production and power generation industries. The standards were developed by the Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance (GCPTA), an industry-driven alliance of employers and educators of process technicians, in collaboration with the Center for the Advancement of Process Technology and the College of the Mainland, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

The Chemical/Refining Process Technician skill standards were developed and validated by technicians representing major Texas employers, such as Albemarle Corporation, BASF FINA, British Petroleum Exploration and Production, Celanese, Chevron Phillips, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, Dupont, Dow Chemical, Eastman Chemical, ExxonMobil, Marathon Ashland Petroleum, Shell Chemical Company, Baker Energy, and others. The skill standards are available for viewing on the TSSB website at www.tssb.org.

The effort to pursue TSSB Program Recognition was initiated by Mark DeMark, Chair of the Process Technology Department at Alvin Community College. Curtis Crabtree, adjunct faculty at the college, worked with the faculty to integrate the skill standards into the program, under the leadership of Mr. DeMark. Alvin Community College collaborated with three other TSSB- recognized process technology programs to agree on the courses in which the skill standards content would be assessed in a common, technical core curriculum. This common, skill standards-based curriculum provides employers with the confidence that regardless of the college they recruit from—whether in Alvin, Lake Jackson, Pasadena or Texas City—program graduates will be prepared with the same skills and knowledge required by the industry.

Alvin Community College staff took advantage of TSSB resources to integrate the skill standards into the curriculum. They followed the TSSB’s recommended six-step process in the guidance document, A User’s Guide: Incorporating Skill Standards into Community and Technical College Curriculum, which is available to download from this site. They also received technical assistance from TSSB staff, provided on-site at the college.

Examples of the application materials submitted by Alvin Community College staff for TSSB Program Recognition are available in the Community and Technical Colleges and Employers and Industry Groups sections of this website.

For more information, please contact Anne Dorsey at TSSB at (512) 936-8100.