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| An artist’s rendition of the BP Integrated Production Technologies (IPT) building under construction on the campus of Fletcher Technical Community College. |
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By early next year, Fletcher Technical Community College of Schriever, La., hopes to begin making a serious dent in the growing shortage of deepwater production operators, with the unveiling of its new, all-inclusive Integrated Production Technology (IPT) school.
Bolstered by $8 million in donations, split evenly between BP and the State of Louisiana, construction is underway on the 29,999-sq-ft complex, on a 38.6-acre site on the Fletcher campus. School officials expect classes to begin in January at the newly christened BP Integrated Production Technologies building, in time for the spring semester. The new building will house 10 classrooms and 3,200 sq ft of fully equipped laboratories.
Fletcher has been offering IPT courses at its main campus since 2010, but spokesperson Elmy Savoie said demand for what is the only deepwater production school in the southern U.S. has outgrown its current setup. The new school will not only provide the needed space for classrooms, but the BP grant also will include more hands-on equipment for training. “We have more than tripled enrollment since we started in 2010. The demand from students has been phenomenal,” said Savoie, executive director for advancement and public relations.
Dr. Alvin Justelien III, IPT department head, said when students successfully complete the 66 credit hours required to complete the two-year curriculum, they will hold an Associate of Applied Science Degree in IPT, making them fully qualified as production operators and technicians. He said the mission of the school is to provide students a “solid foundation,” that clears the way for their assimilation into an individual operator’s specific company culture.
The current IPT facility has 97 students from across the nation, which Justelien said covers a broad spectrum from those still in high school, with dual enrollment, to one 54-year-old seeking a career change from an entirely different profession. The school also offers scholarship opportunities.
Designed to prepare students for life on a deepwater production facility, much of the IPT academic and technical curriculum takes a hands-on approach which includes real-life scenarios, he said. Along with English composition, algebra and other academic courses, students must also complete technical courses, ranging from the basics of deepwater systems and technology, to fluid mechanics and applied electricity and electronics. U.S. Coast Guard members serve on the advisory council and frequently lecture students on ever-changing federal regulations.
Instructor Joe Zorn, who brought some 30 years of direct industry experience to the IPT school, said safety is at the core of every class and the curriculum is designed to give the students a taste of exactly what life will be like when they arrive offshore. “Safety is built into every class,” he said. “When they come into class, we have a safety moment just like they would have offshore. We have classes on safety compliance and all federal regulations.”
The school plans to build an outdoor production skid, to give students the ultimate in hands-on experience with deepwater production equipment and its operation, said Justelien.
DEMAND ‘EXPLODING’
Fletcher officials say the facility could not come at a better time as operators desperately seek personnel for the new deep and ultra-deepwater production systems that are arriving in the Gulf of Mexico. Justelien said Fletcher works with Larose service and personnel contractor Danos, which serves on the IPT advisory board and has said that the shortage of production personnel could cripple the industry.
“It’s exploding out there and from what Danos tells us the need is unbelievable,” Justelien said.
Consequently, graduates are not left wanting for gainful employment at entry-level salaries higher than they could expect in any other industry, Savoie said. “Over the last couple of years, 90% of the students who graduate from this program are employed at all are making at least $50,000 a year or more,” she said.
While the IPT school is certainly not lacking in willing students, its primary challenge today is hiring qualified instructors like Zorn who are willing to give up lucrative industry careers for a teaching position. Savoie said the ideal instructor candidate is one fully versed in production operations, which is nearing retirement and does not wish to return to the field, but also is not ready to completely give up the active working life. 
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