Chemical/Refining Process
Technician
TSSB-Recognized Skill Standards October 20, 2009
Background
The Center
for the Advancement of Process Technology
(CAPT), along with its various alliance
partners, including Alaska Process Industry
Careers Consortium, California Chemical
& Process Technology Alliance, and many
others from around the nation, and working
through a National Science Foundation
grant, developed the Chemical/Refining
Process Technician skill standards.
The skill standards were submitted for
recognition to the TSSB in January, 2005,
by the Gulf Coast Process Technology
Alliance (GCPTA) on behalf of its industry
partners in Texas. GCPTA is an
industry-driven non-profit organization of
community colleges and industry and an
active member of CAPT.
At its October 20, 2009 meeting the TSSB
recognized updated Chemical/Refining
Process Technician skill standards at the
request of the GCPTA.
Development
CAPT recruited an
Industry Technical Advisory Committee
(ITAC) made up of major chemical and
refining employers in Texas such as
ExxonMobil, Valero Refining Company, Shell
Chemical Company, BP Amoco, and Chevron
Phillips to participate in the initial
development of the skill standards.
Developers used the DACUM (Developing a
Curriculum) method to conduct a job
analysis to collect, synthesize, and
organize job data. The ITAC selected
subject matter experts (SMEs) that would
represent diversity in company size and in
geographic and demographic areas of the
state. During the overall DACUM process
over 300 contacts with business and
industry were made. The DACUM information
was aggregated and work-related skill
standards information was defined over the
course of several focus group sessions with
SMEs. Sessions were conducted using
teleconference and other communication
methods. Online editing and teleconferences
with SMEs ensured a consensus-based output
from the process.
The skill standards developed through the
SME sessions underwent rigorous validation
during a series of on-site focus group,
telephone, and internet feedback sessions.
Session participants were invited based on
the need to assure that demographic
distributions were fairly maintained. The
companies that responded to the invitation
were classified according to size and other
criteria. Sixty seven (67)
operators/technicians from sixteen (16)
regions in the state with the heaviest
concentration of chemical and refining
companies participated in the validation
process.
For the 2009 review, the GCPTA recruited
experts from several chemical or petroleum
refining companies with plants in Texas,
including Sun Products, Eastman Chemical,
Shell Oil, Lyondell Basell, and Lubrizol,
to participate 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, the experts reviewed
and validated the suggested revisions to
the skill standards based on their years of
industry experience, and recommended
changes to reflect updated work practices
in the field.
Importance to
Texas
Between Chemical Equipment Operators and
Tenders (SOC 51-9011), Chemical Plant and
System Operators (SOC 51-8091), and
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery
Operators and Gaugers (SOC 51-8093), state
labor market information data suggests that
the number of jobs is expected to drop from
approximately 30,000 jobs in 2006 to just
over 21,000 jobs in 2016. The average
hourly wage between the three occupations
is about $26.00.
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