How bp is training the future industrial workforce – and investing in America

As a kid, every time Aracely Luna’s family drove past bp’s Whiting refinery in Northwest Indiana, she thought it was actually Chicago, about 20 miles up the road.

The refinery’s towers glistened in the night sky, and stretched across dozens of acres along Lake Michigan, bringing to mind a bustling metropolis with hundreds of employees teeming through Whiting’s gates each day producing energy for much of the Midwest.

Now 20 years old, Luna has set her sights on the Whiting refinery as a place to launch her career as a tradesperson. In fact, she’s in the final weeks of a program at Ivy Tech Community College’s campus in Lake County, Indiana that’s designed to prepare people for well-paying, entry-level jobs at the refinery, and beyond. “Once I learned about the workforce development program with bp,” Luna says, “I knew I had a path.”

Since the Whiting refinery opened in 1889 as part of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, it has remained a driver of Northwest Indiana’s economy. Every day, the refinery produces about 16 million gallons of fuel.

The Whiting refinery is also a critical part of bp’s business, as the company aims to boost oil and gas production globally. The US, in fact, is bp’s largest market, with more than 30,000 employees and supporting more than a quarter-million jobs. Nearly every major bp business has a presence in the US, and in many ways, Indiana is an unlikely reflection of America’s diverse energy system. The Whiting refinery has more than 1,300 people and just as many contractors in jobs ranging from chemical and mechanical engineers, to technicians, welders, pipefitters and maintenance workers.

But as baby boomers retire and the refinery’s operations become more digitized, the need for skilled workers becomes more urgent – and recruitment is fierce. “If you look at how the energy industry needs to grow, or even what we need to run this facility, we need a tremendous amount of skilled workforce,” says Chris DellaFranco, the Whiting refinery’s vice president, adding: “I worry we’re not going to have enough skilled workers to meet what we need as an industry.” 

Investing in Northwest Indiana’s workforce

That’s why several years ago, bp partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to design a program that delivers the training the Whiting refinery will need from its future workforce. The “Process Technology” program – known as “PTech” – teaches the fundamental aspects of working at the refinery. The refinery has worked with local high schools to recruit students for the program; in fact, some spend half their day at Ivy Tech’s Lake County campus, less than 3 miles from the refinery.

One of the PTech program’s instructors, Byrant Redd, points to the most enduring lessons he offers students: “You have to know how to work with people who may be totally different from you. Even if you don’t agree,” he says, “you have to get comfortable focusing on the task at hand, and what’s important for the team you’re on.”

Luna first heard about the PTech program while finishing high school. At the time, she didn’t have a clear plan on what to do next. For a while growing up, she dreamed of becoming a nurse. Eventually, she thought about trades – carpentry, electrical work or welding. “I loved working with my hands,” Luna says, “and one of the reasons I wanted to be a carpenter is, I always wanted to build my own house.”

So she applied for the PTech program, with the hopes of not only gaining tangible skills, but also potentially opening career opportunities at bp. As she learned more about the company, she recalls, it seemed like “you weren’t stuck in the same position your whole career.” 

She loved the program – one day a week for high school students during a 16-week term. On some days, she’d go straight from her job at a nearby fast-food restaurant to class. The courses on pneumatics, hydraulics, and electrical systems helped strengthen her teamworking skills, particularly in the labs, where participants get hands-on experience with refinery equipment. “It changed my life by giving me more confidence to work with people,” Luna recalls.

She also hopes to follow in the steps of Carter Cleve.

Cleve, 20 years old, grew up in Indiana, watching his dad work at the Whiting refinery. After high school, Cleve attended Indiana University in Bloomington. But about four months later, Cleve says, “I realized it just wasn't for me,” he said. “I really like to be hands-on and be able to fix things and troubleshoot.” 

He applied to the PTech program, was accepted and attended classes at night. During the day, he worked as a contractor at the Whiting refinery, doing concrete and other structural work. Cleve earned a certificate from the PTech program, and soon landed a job on a refinery team that converts heavy crude oil into lighter, more desirable fuels like gasoline. Now, barely a year into his job, each day he makes rounds with equipment, checking gauges and temperatures to determine if anything needs troubleshooting. “It's a lot of being on your toes, because conditions can change in moments,” Cleve says, adding, “I love what I do.”

Measuring impact

Marcos Rodriguez, chancellor for Ivy Tech’s Lake County campus, says the primary measure of success for most vocational students is whether their programs lead to gainful employment. Ivy Tech, he says, considers enrollment, retention, and graduation numbers, as well as its impact on meeting the needs of local employers. “These partnerships result in success not just for the partners that are involved, but for the participants,” Rodgriguez says.

By most accounts, bp’s workforce development program is a success, and a tangible example of how the company is investing in Indiana, and America. Chris DellaFranco, the Whiting refinery’s vice president, says of the students who’ve completed the PTech program: “Leveraging the students that come out of Ivy Tech is so powerful, because we’re building a legacy for people – for their kids, and their grandkids, to have a place to work.”

Luna has applied for an entry-level operators position at the Whiting refinery.

To learn more about how bp is investing in America, click here.