College of the Mainland
Texas City, TX
- Develops industry-sanctioned process technology curricula for nationwide distribution and use.
- Establishes and fosters partnerships between the process industries and education.
- Validates student and worker knowledge through the administration of a national exam developed by education and industry.
CAPT Builds Capability for Students and Industry Partners
CAPT is the only national organization of its kind, bridging education and the process technology industry for the direct benefit of both. The impact of CAPT’s successes in process technology education has been felt around the country by more than 4,200 students who have earned process technology (PTEC™) associate degrees from 56 CAPT partner colleges.
Since the inception of CAPT in 2002, process technology graduation rates have steadily increased. For example, there were 725 process technology graduates in the 2008-2009 academic year alone.
With a majority of companies requiring entry-level technicians to have a PTEC™ associate degree or equivalent experience, the highly skilled and well-educated graduates of CAPT-affiliated programs are in demand. Industry’s recognition of the quality of CAPT programs provides opportunities that students can build upon throughout their careers.
CAPT Readies Process Technician Workforce
The significance of the petrochemical and refining sector and other process industries to a healthy economy cannot be understated. Fueling Prosperity, a 2005 study, reported that the petrochemical and refining sector in Texas generated business expenditures of $123.6 billion. This business activity required 103,976 permanent jobs, which created almost $11 billion in personal income. The income benefitted workers and others through the multiplier effect of spent income flowing back into the economy.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that there are 12 million jobs in production-related occupations in the United States. More than 150,000 of those jobs are directly related to chemical, petroleum, and gas process technicians. BLS data indicate that the chemical, petroleum, and gas sectors will fill 17,000 new or replacement jobs through 2016.
Through its standardized PTEC™ curriculum and its collaborative work with industry and other educators, CAPT supports the development of a highly skilled, well-educated, and diverse process technician workforce. The center and its partner colleges ensure that there are qualified technicians available to fill the positions created by natural attrition and the mass exodus anticipated as the “baby boomer” generation moves toward retirement
