Pearland ISD partners with Brazoria County petrochemical employers to place students in full-time jobs through career signing day

Pearland ISD is working with the Brazoria County Petrochemical Council to place high-school career and technical education students into full-time jobs and apprenticeships through an annual career signing day, district and industry organizers said.

The signing-day model pairs students who complete CTE course sequences and industry certifications with multiple employer interviews held in a single event. "We will accomplish probably somewhere near 800 interviews in a 4 hour span," Aaron Innes, director of workforce development and innovative learning, said on the district's Building Blocks podcast, describing the event as a "speed dating" model for hiring.

The program numbers and process matter because local petrochemical and construction employers report continuing demand for skilled entry-level workers. "These are jobs that very large companies, very sound companies that high school kids at 18 are gonna have health benefits, dental benefits," said Sarah Vargas, a member of Pearland ISD's CTE leadership. Vargas described a pipeline that begins with classroom certificates, continues with soft-skills training and mock interviews, and culminates in employers extending offers after the event.

Why it matters: Organizers said the program creates a direct route from high school to employment in an industry with above-minimum wages and benefits, and it supplements college pathways. Aaron Innes said organizers hope to build on past results: the initiative hired 11 students at the first event and has since helped "north of 300 students" across participating districts in Brazoria and Matagorda counties. The program reported a hire rate above 70 percent for participating students.

How it works: Students apply through their CTE departments; organizers then match student interests and certifications to employer needs. Each applicant receives up to four interviews during the event. Innes said the matching process considers geography and employer staffing needs so students are offered positions they can reasonably commute to. The event typically is staged at a large local venue; organizers said past signings have been held at the Dow Academic Center.

Timing and scale: Applications for the current cycle are collected at the start of the school year and — for this season — were due on Valentine’s Day, organizers said. Innes said the committee had passed 100 applications and hoped to reach about 200. The signing-day event is scheduled for April (date not specified). Vargas described preparatory steps that begin in junior-year English and continue with resume workshops, mock interviews and campus presentations for seniors.

Industry partners and participating organizations mentioned on the podcast include Dow, BASF, Freeport LNG, Wood (formerly Wood Group), Phillips 66 (P66), Chevron Phillips (CP Chem), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Brazosport College and the Brazosport Safety Council; organizers said many local contractors also participate. Aaron Innes said the BCPC and partner organizations ‘‘play matchmaker’’ by communicating employer openings such as millwrights, welders, instrumentation technicians, electrical and office/logistics staff.

Organizers noted the program is meant to be a career pathway as well as an alternative to immediate four‑year college enrollment: "Not everybody needs to go to college," the podcast host said, summarizing the argument echoed by Innes and Vargas that CTE can lead to careers and college later through tuition reimbursement and employer training.

How students are supported: Vargas described concentrated soft-skills instruction embedded in CTE classes and targeted senior-year work on resumes and interview readiness. "We'll hold a mock interview," she said. District staff accompany students to the event, provide lunch and help them evaluate job offers, benefits and next steps.

Contact and next steps: Organizers asked interested students and families to work through their school CTE department or consult the BCPC website and Pearland ISD show notes for application links and contact information. The podcast host said producer show notes would include links to BCPC materials and Pearland ISD CTE contacts.

The pairing of district CTE programs with county petrochemical employers is ongoing; organizers framed signing day as one element in a broader local workforce-development ecosystem that includes postsecondary training and employer-sponsored certifications.