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TSSB Recognizes Revised Chemical and Refining Process Technician Skill Standards

October, 2009 - On October 20, 2009, the Texas Skill Standards Board recognized revised skill standards for the chemical and refining process technician occupational area. The Chemical/Refining Process Technician skill standards were developed in 2005 by the Gulf Coast Process Technology Alliance (GCPTA), an industry-driven alliance of employers and educators of process technicians, with the collaboration of the Center for the Advancement of Process Technology and the College of the Mainland as part of a National Science Foundation grant. The TSSB originally recognized the skill standards at its March 1, 2005 meeting.

The GCPTA recruited over 30 Texas-based subject matter experts to review the Chemical/Refining Process Technician skill standards and provide direction on refining the lists of occupational skills and knowledge associated with each key activity.

Experts from several chemical or petroleum refining companies with plants in Texas, including Sun Products, Eastman Chemical, Shell Oil, LyondellBasell, and Lubrizol, participated in an online survey to identify necessary skills and knowledge for each key activity. A separate group of experts reviewed the initial survey output and provided secondary response data to further clarify skill and knowledge groupings. Finally, this group of experts reviewed and approved the revisions to the skill standards based on their years of industry experience.

Process technicians work as an integral part of a team responsible for planning, analyzing, and controlling the production of products, from the acquisition of raw materials through the distribution of finished products to customers in a variety of industries, including chemical, food and beverage, oil exploration and production, pharmaceuticals, and power generation. Process technicians install, maintain, and repair process technology equipment such as safety systems, compressors, and pumps.

The TSSB recognized the skill standards in accordance with its Guidelines for the Development, Recognition, and Usage of Skill Standards (October 2006). For more information, please contact the TSSB at (512) 936-8100.