BP Provides $4 Million to Enhance Training for Oil and Gas Workers in the US Gulf of Mexico
HOUMA, LA. – BP announced today it will provide $4 million to Fletcher Technical Community College to construct a new Integrated Production Technologies (IPT) facility. The new facility, which will prepare and train the next generation of offshore oil and gas workers, will be the second facility at Fletcher’s new campus development which is next door to BP’s Houma Operations Learning Center.
“I am excited to announce this gift of $4 million to the Fletcher Foundation to build a new state-of-the-art classroom and facility to train petrotechnical workers to fill the ever-increasing demand for skilled workers in the industry,” said James Dupree, regional president for BP’s Gulf of Mexico business.
The proposed new facility will house a 4,000 square foot state of the art training laboratory, classrooms and offices for Fletcher’s Integrated Production Technology Program.
BP has been an industry partner with the College since 2008, from assisting in the development of the new Integrated Production Technology Program to scholarships, and now a building,” said Chancellor Travis Lavigne. “Their generosity goes beyond just a new building for Fletcher, it serves as a commitment to our community and the workforce needs of the oil and gas industry for the Bayou Region.”
The building construction will be managed by the Fletcher Foundation Board. BP will consult with the Foundation Board on the design and construction schedule. Construction is expected to begin later this year and conclude by December 2013. Fletcher will fund all staffing and administration costs related to the operation of the new facility. BP’s $4 million contribution will be earmarked for construction and equipment and furniture for the building.
The building will be situated on the Fletcher campus next door to BP’s 75,000 square-foot Houma Operations Learning Center (HOLC) where BP trains men and women in process safety and operational systems. The HOLC facility is designed to develop and enhance health, safety environmental, technical and leadership skills. It also provides hands-on workshop training for automation, electrical, instrumentation, rigging and lifting and a production control simulator for hands-on training in the area of control room operations.
BP’s US businesses and the BP Foundation have provided substantial investment in recent years toward workforce development and education in Louisiana. In 2010, the BP Foundation made a $2.25 million grant for education, math and workforce development in Louisiana. The grants were distributed to Xavier University, Southern University, Dillard University, Sowela Community College, Delgado Community College and Fletcher Technical Community College.
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Editor’s notes:
- Fletcher has received more than $1 million in BP grants over the past three years for education and workforce development.
- BP is actively supports education in Louisiana, contributing more than $750,000 per annum to education activities in Louisiana.
- Most recently, BP committed to become the lead corporate sponsor for the Xavier University Summer Math and Science Camps for three years at a total of $750,000.
- BP is underwriting education programs in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish Schools, as well as schools in Grand Isle, Louisiana.
- BP is a corporate supporter of KIPP New Orleans and the Mentorship Academy in Baton Rouge.
- BP is the largest energy investor in the United States
- BP invests more in the U.S. than in any other country.
- Our capital investments in the U.S. from 2006 - 2010 totaled more than $50 billion, excluding $10 billion spent on Gulf response in 2010.
- Over the last five years BP’s reinvestment in the U.S. has substantially exceeded profits earned here.
- BP is a major contributor to America’s energy security
- BP is the second largest producer of oil and gas in the U.S. and the number one producer of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
- BP produces nearly one million barrels of oil equivalent every day in the U.S. and is America's seventh largest producer of natural gas.
- BP Alternative Energy (AE), with its low-carbon energy portfolio of wind, solar, and biofuels, has the most diverse alternative energy portfolio among oil and gas companies.
- BP is a major source of American jobs
- Our direct U.S. workforce exceeds 23,000 people, making us the second largest oil and gas employer in America.
- BP’s business activity supports an additional 210,000 American jobs.
For additional information:
BP Press Office - (281) 366-4463
uspress@bp.com
Fletcher Technical Community College
Elmy W. Savoie
Public Relations Director
985-858-2984 Office Phone
985-860-1220 Cell
elmy.savoie@ftcc.edu
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