Special Series — Chemical Industry Workforce: Shaping Tomorrow's Talent
Nov. 4, 2024
An in-depth look at the state of the chemical industry workforce and its future.
The series, "Chemical Industry Workforce: Shaping Tomorrow's Talent," takes an in-depth look at the state of the chemical industry workforce and its future. The first article, “Deconstructing the Chemical Industry’s Skills Gap,” includes interviews with workers, experienced and new, who offer their perspectives on the complexities of the current labor market. We followed that with a timely investigation into the state of diversity programs within chemical operations, including interviews with minority employees and their perspectives on the industry. The series also features articles about the use of innovative technologies to advance training throughout the industry in addition to our annual salary survey, which provides a glimpse into overall workforce morale and expectations. The series closes with a look at educational institutions and how they’re preparing the next generation to enter the workforce.
BASF and Suncor buck the trend of ditching DEI programs proving they are tied to innovation and success.
“I grew up in a place where there were drive-by shootings — I have bullet holes in my childhood home,” says Dennis Banks, vice president of Syncrude maintenance at Suncor Energy Inc., who grew up in Detroit, went to college in Louisiana and now resides in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. “Some people freeze in the face of chaotic situations. I don't view [many] situations as perilous. So, I'm able to maintain calm and composure in the face of a lot of adversity and chaos because of what I went through growing up. I view things like incident management and unfortunate accidents differently. ”
With the right tools, training is just condensed experience.
I was about to have an operator explain his response to a momentary power failure. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked.
I told him to just show me how he would handle the situation. His continued reluctance made me suspect he was unsure of what actions he was supposed to take.
A little taken aback, I said, “I’m not a qualified operator on this unit, but usually, people secure the fired heaters first.”
Many facilities handle dangerous processes and products on a daily basis. Keeping everything under control demands well-trained people working with the best equipment.
Enhance the training experience and increase retention by training hands-on in Emerson's Interactive Plant Environment. Build skills here so you have them where and when it matters...
See how Rosemount™ 625IR Fixed Gas Detector helps keep workers safe with ultra-fast response times to detect hydrocarbon gases before they can create dangerous situations.
