HCC student receives scholarship from ExxonMobil

Aug 15, 2016

With the Gulf Coast area petrochemical industry needing more than 50,000 new workers within the decade, Houston Community College (HCC) is among nine community colleges that have set out to find and train this “next generation” of skilled workers, enabled by a grant from ExxonMobil.

Representatives from ExxonMobil and all nine partnering colleges met at the main ExxonMobil office in Baytown to present $45,000 in scholarships to 34 selected students. That includes HCC student Cajetan Nwachukwu, a father of four, who is studying process technology at the HCC Global Energy Center of Excellence.

“This scholarship will allow me to focus more on my education and put more effort into my studies,” said Nwachukwu, who works part-time for Harris County.

Now in its fourth year, the Community College Petrochemical Initiative has spread the word across the region that typical salaries in this expanding industry average nearly $100,000 and opportunities are available with those who possess the necessary skills.

ExxonMobil Chemical Company Senior Vice President Matt Aguiar congratulated the students and spoke to why ExxonMobil continues to invest in the program.

“We continue to see great progress as these colleges educate, train and develop candidates to fill the increasing number of jobs in the petrochemical industry,” Aguiar said. “Because of the ongoing success, I’m proud to announce that ExxonMobil is providing another $300,000 for this important training program.”

ExxonMobil has contributed more than $1.8 million towards training skilled new workers. This is the third consecutive year that the initiative and ExxonMobil have brought together new recipients to present scholarships and encourage them in their educational pursuits.

The HCC Global Energy Center of Excellence trains and educates technically-skilled and safety conscious workers for the energy industry supporting the petrochemical, energy corridor, and production companies in our region. For more information, visit hccs.edu/energy.