Lee College will receive an additional $40,000 from Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. as part of the company’s ongoing Workforce Development Scholarship Program, which supports students interested in petrochemical careers.
Chevron Phillips Chemical announced the additional donation to the scholarship fund April 2 as it celebrated the groundbreaking of the first component of a $6 billion expansion at its Cedar Bayou facility in Baytown. The project includes construction of a world-scale ethane cracker at Cedar Bayou, and is expected to bring approximately 10,000 temporary engineering and construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs to the area.
Chevron Phillips Chemical established the Workforce Development Scholarship Program at Lee College in 2012 with an initial gift of $75,000. Since then, the company has awarded scholarships to 31 students in the process technology, instrumentation technology and electrical technology programs, including eight dual-enrollment students who are completing college coursework while still in high school. The programs prepare students for entry-level operations and/or maintenance jobs in the petrochemical industry.
The additional $40,000 gift will be allotted to the college at $10,000 per year from 2014-17, allowing more students to receive scholarship money over a longer period of time.
“As the demand for qualified process technicians and operators continues to increase, it is our responsibility as a community college to ensure our students are prepared for jobs here, within our local community,” said Lee College Pres. Dr. Dennis Brown. “We thank Chevron Phillips Chemical for continuing the generous support offered through this scholarship program and the opportunity it provides for students to be successful in both the classroom and the workforce.”