Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
River Parishes Community College showcases student skills to industry; multiple internship offers follow
Summary
An industry match day at River Parishes Community College — part of a work‑based learning grant supported by Regents funding and NSF mentorship — let advanced technical students demonstrate skills to petrochemical employers. Dozens of mock interviews and demonstrations led to internship interviews and at least five offers reported by Dow.
River Parishes Community College hosted an industry match day that paired advanced technical students with area energy companies for skills demonstrations, mock interviews and internship recruitment.
Paul Donaldson, vice chancellor for academic affairs at River Parishes, said the event was supported by a Board of Regents WBLE (work‑based learning) grant and by NSF MentorLinks funding. The college convened industry partners through the EPIC (Energy Partners for Innovation and Collaboration) consortium and asked advanced students in process technology, instrumentation and allied programs to present performance demonstrations modeled on relevant industry scenarios.
Tasha Jackson, assistant director of the EPIC consortium, described 10 student teams that completed hands‑on demonstrations — troubleshooting simulated feed tank circulation, conducting liquid‑liquid process extraction scenarios in a glass lab and performing lockout‑tagout procedures. Industry judges from Marathon, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Methanex, Dow, OxyChem and others provided written rubrics and real‑time feedback.
After demonstrations, students participated in structured mock interviews with 12 employers in a speed‑interview format. Kate Whitehead, director of work‑based learning, said Dow conducted real interviews for paid internships and, after the event, extended five internship offers to students. Staff said they will run the match day again and look to expand the model to other technical programs.
College staff credited the Regents grant and the EPIC partnership for enabling the event and said the approach aims to strengthen local talent pipelines for new and existing energy projects in the River Parishes region.
