{"id":718069,"date":"2023-11-27T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=718069"},"modified":"2023-11-21T16:46:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T21:46:28","slug":"an-effort-to-prep-west-tx-students-to-work-in-the-oil-and-gas-industry-is-expanding","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/an-effort-to-prep-west-tx-students-to-work-in-the-oil-and-gas-industry-is-expanding\/","title":{"rendered":"An Effort To Prep West TX Students to Work in the Oil And Gas Industry is Expanding"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><\/h1>\n<p>MIDLAND \u2014 When Giovanni Parra\u2019s instructor asked the class to weld the opposite ends of a wire during a lesson on soldering, the 16-year-old sprinted to the nearest workstation.<\/p>\n<p>Parra is among dozens of students in a technical education program offered by the Midland school district that is preparing students to work in their own backyard, the oil-rich Permian Basin.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other classes at his high school, this one makes Parra feel connected to his family\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n<span class=\"cta_snippet\"><hr><p><em>Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. <\/em><a class=\"arrow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/about\/newsletters\/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=top&utm_id=newsletter\"><strong>Sign up for The 74 Newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p><hr><\/span>\n<p>\u201cMy whole family works in the oil fields,\u201d Parra said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to see what I\u2019m good at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parra, a sophomore, is one of a few students who have access to this sort of hands-on learning. Within the 55 counties making up the Permian Basin between Texas and New Mexico, just four school districts offer classes that directly prepare students for work in the oil fields \u2014 a highly competitive market always short of workers. And two programs are fully enrolled.<\/p>\n<p>In Odessa, hundreds of students are on a waitlist to take classes that teach them the basics of oil and gas.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/XPeeALB0OfkFogh83aZPHdqv2To=\/1200x804\/smart\/filters:quality(75)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/files\/56af49b85af84658f1ffb1ff423d52bb\/1106%20Energy%20Curriculum%20EH%20TT%2016.jpg\" alt=\"Midland College assistant professor Anthony Cummins, far right, instructs area high school students during an Oil and Gas Production II class Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Midland. The Oil and Gas Production class was designed by the Midland Independent School District to teach students vocational oil and gas studies.\" \/><figcaption>Midland College assistant professor Anthony Cummins instructs area high school students during an Oil and Gas Production II class. (<cite>Eli Hartman\/The Texas Tribune)<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/college-is-not-the-only-answer-7-policy-recommendations-to-help-youth-succeed\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/lammers-vocational-school.jpg);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">College Is Not the Only Answer: 7 Policy Recommendations to Help Youth Succeed<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>An effort to expand access to oil and gas production courses to other high schools in Texas and New Mexico is underway, led in large part by energy companies. The region\u2019s education leaders say the support helps both the schools and the industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the energy industry\u2019s perspective, they are developing the next generation of workers,\u201d said Scott Muri, superintendent of the public school district in Ector County, which includes Odessa.<\/p>\n<p>Working with the state\u2019s education department, the Permian Strategic Partnership, an organization made up of the leading energy companies including Chevron, ConocoPhillipps and ExxonMobil, is helping two schools in the Permian Basin and two in New Mexico put in place similar coursework that Parra is learning today.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fact that the West Texas economy has long run on the extraction business, this is one of the first modern attempts to prepare high school students to work in the fields before they graduate.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/LkgQICMtgP2ogastBNHWi85_-hs=\/1200x804\/smart\/filters:quality(75)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/files\/a215ecba228ca197e9b02a10b39446d6\/1106%20Energy%20Curriculum%20EH%20TT%2006.jpg\" alt=\"Midland College assistant professor Anthony Cummins, right, directs a group of high school students during their Oil and Gas Production II class period on electrical circuits Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Midland. The Education Partnership of the Permian Basin in collaboration with the Permian Strategic Partnership, which represents local oil and gas companies, designed a curriculum that will introduce vocational oil and gas studies to high school students. Classes will begin to roll out in one area school district starting January of 2024.\" \/><span style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;\">A group of high school students create an electrical circuit using two lightbulbs and a set of cables on a specialized electronic training board during their Oil and Gas Production II class. The class was designed by the Midland Independent School District to teach students vocational oil and gas studies. (<\/span><cite style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px;\">Eli Hartman\/The Texas Tribune)<\/cite><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/the-future-of-high-school-engaging-students-careers-through-modern-apprenticeships\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/crpe-employ-indy.png);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">Future of High School: Engaging Students & Careers Via Modern Apprenticeships<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s part of a shift in public education to work closely with local business leaders to provide students with specific employable skills. The partnership plans to foot the cost of classroom supplies, teacher training and marketing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin is going to be around for decades to come,\u201d said Tracee Bentley, president of Permian Strategic Partnership. \u201cWe want the region to be successful. We know we are missing out on so much talent right here at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A heated statewide debate over how to teach climate change in schools serves as the backdrop to the industry\u2019s efforts to expand vocational instruction in the Permian Basin. Last week, the State Board of Education, a 15-member body controlled by Republicans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2023\/11\/17\/texas-climate-textbooks-education-SBOE\/\">voted to reject seven of 12 proposed science books<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The board rejected textbooks containing policy solutions for climate change, as well as those published by companies that advocate for certain policies to combat climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gasses from fossil fuel use, are the leading cause of climate change, according to the National Climate Assessment, a federal report requested by Congress in 1990 and signed into law by Republican President George H.W. Bush.<\/p>\n<p>School districts aren\u2019t obligated to exclusively use state-approved titles, but most will since those books are guaranteed to comply with state standards.<\/p>\n<p>The Permian partnership, which led the $4.5 million effort to put the class in place, declined to specifically address how climate change is addressed in Texas classrooms. In a statement, the partnership said it would follow all state standards.<\/p>\n<p>However, in New Mexico, the partnership said, the curriculum specifically addresses \u201cenergy efficiency and renewable energy, in addition to oil and natural gas.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/cnUv-OOOLXhEgYi2-HRIBvNFJSQ=\/1200x804\/smart\/filters:quality(75)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/files\/668ce0481b9855c779c7400af6f5476c\/1106%20Energy%20Curriculum%20EH%20TT%2014.jpg\" alt=\"Midland College assistant professor Anthony Cummins, right, instructs a group of area high school students in a lesson on electrical circuits during their Oil and Gas Production II class Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Midland. The Oil and Gas Production class was designed by the Midland Independent School District to teach students vocational oil and gas studies.\" \/><span style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;\">Midland College assistant professor Anthony Cummins instructs a group of high school students in a lesson on electrical circuits. (<\/span><cite style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px;\">Eli Hartman\/The Texas Tribune)<\/cite><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"inline_story shortcode simple\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/fall-college-data-shows-big-gains-and-jarring-freshmen-declines\/\"><figure style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/o.png);\"><\/figure><div><span class=\"sans related_tag\">Related<\/span><h4 class=\"sans\">Fall College Data Shows Big Gains \u2014 And Jarring Freshmen Declines<\/h4><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>The program is one of several industry-specific classes being taught in Texas classrooms. More than 100 courses in Texas schools are offered to educate students on jobs from farming to dentistry to pharmacy.<\/p>\n<p>Establishing and maintaining these skills-specific courses is difficult, said Jeff Horner, executive director of the Career and Technical Education Center in the Midland school district. Getting courses green-lit for the classroom requires exhaustive administrative upkeep to meet requirements, a time and resource-intensive commitment schools can\u2019t always afford.<\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s education agency calls for sponsors, a pilot program that lasts at least a year, and a renewal every two years. Horner said that fulfilling the state\u2019s requirements while keeping up with an industry that changes frequently makes the program difficult to maintain with limited resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to keep the students up to date,\u201d Horner said.<\/p>\n<p>In Midland, classes are outsourced in the local college, and two instructors who belong to the faculty divvy the workload. One instructor commutes to the high school two times a week, while a second instructor waits for the students to commute from school to attend classes at the college.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/1jlFo8OH0VQngM6c3ORXP07-_vA=\/1200x804\/smart\/filters:quality(75)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/files\/238594dfb8296bf0f0faaff750191087\/1106%20Energy%20Curriculum%20EH%20TT%2008.jpg\" alt=\"From left, high school juniors Kimberly Arredondo, 17, Elyse Alvarez, 16, and Frannevic Alcala, 16, take part in an electrical circuit activity during their Oil and Gas Production II class Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Midland. The Oil and Gas Production class was designed by the Midland Independent School District to teach students vocational oil and gas studies.\" \/><span style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;\">High school juniors Kimberly Arredondo, Elyse Alvarez and Frannevic Alcala take part in an electrical circuit activity during their Oil and Gas Production II class. (<\/span><cite style=\"font-family: tiempos; color: #afaeae; font-size: 12px;\">Eli Hartman\/The Texas Tribune)<\/cite><\/figure>\n<p>More staff is always ideal but not feasible, said Anthony Cummins, assistant professor of energy at Midland College. Teachers are in short supply, and it can take anywhere from six months to a year before the college secures a qualified instructor, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can be difficult to hire instructors because we can make more in the oil fields,\u201d Cummins said.<\/p>\n<p><i>Exxon Mobil Corporation has been a financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune&#8217;s journalism. Find a complete <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/support-us\/corporate-sponsors\/\">list of them here<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>This article originally appeared in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/\">The Texas Tribune<\/a>, <\/em><em>a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MIDLAND \u2014 When Giovanni Parra\u2019s instructor asked the class to weld the opposite ends of a wire during a lesson on soldering, the 16-year-old sprinted to the nearest workstation. Parra is among dozens of students in a technical education program offered by the Midland school district that is preparing students to work in their own [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":718070,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[190],"tags":[1109,1008,974,5121],"series":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/718069"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/718069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":718097,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/718069\/revisions\/718097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/718070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=718069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=718069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=718069"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=718069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}