TSTC’s Process Operations program to incorporate liquefied natural gas into curriculum

(MARSHALL, Texas) - Last year, Texas State Technical College's Process Operations program was awarded a $637,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education.

"The idea behind the grant was to provide additional skill sets for our Process Operations students in the area of liquified natural gas (LNG)," Katie Robinson, TSTC's associate vice president of student learning, said.

The program will begin teaching the LNG curriculum during the fall semester.

Erica Griffin, the director of alignment for Instrumentation Technology and Process Operations at TSTC's Marshall campus, has been working to incorporate LNG in the curriculum, which will include three courses. She has been assisted by officials with Golden Pass LNG and Freeport LNG.

"The first course will be an introductory and overview," Griffin said. "The second course is going to be the specifications of the local fine natural gas processing, going into dehydration and inlet facilities. The last course is going to get into transportation."

PetroSkills, a company that offers training courses in the oil and gas field, has developed simulation software for TSTC as part of the grant funding. Donald Glaser, a technical consultant and training instructor for PetroSkills, said the simulators will bring the experience of working in coastal LNG plants to the TSTC lab.

"One of the components in any process technology degree is to be able to practice what you're getting taught in a lecture environment," Glaser said. "There's two types of jobs and the simulator will help train both aspects of a plant operation - someone who works in a control room and someone who works in the field."

TSTC aims to enroll a minimum of 100 students in the Process Operations program over the next three years to help contribute to the growing LNG industry. According to onetonline.org, gas plant operators earn a median annual salary of $88,510 in Texas, and the number of jobs is projected to grow 17% between 2020 and 2030.

"We're trying to get ahead and trying to predict what the needs are in the future," Robinson said.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Process Operations at its Marshall campus.

Registration for TSTC's fall semester is underway. For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

TSTC officials hope to enroll 100 students in the Process Operations program over the next three years. (Photo courtesy of TSTC.)

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