HOUSTON—The oil industry is mired in its latest bust, with thousands of jobs evaporating like flares flaming out over natural gas wells. But in Texas, education officials are preparing more young people for the oil patch, showing the state’s unshakeable commitment to the energy sector despite the employment uncertainties.
The Houston school district is planning to expand its Energy Institute High School to around 1,000 students by 2017 and inaugurate a new 110,000-square-foot, $37 million facility. The 3-year-old institute is the nation’s only high school fully specializing in oil and energy careers.
In the oil-rich Permian Basin, two Midland high schools have begun “petroleum academies.” And state officials have approved vocational classes in oil production, authorizing all schools districts across Texas to teach them.
“We are in this downturn, but as a society we have a responsibility to not let that affect our workforce and to keep ahead of the game,” said Energy Institute Principal Lori Lambropoulos.
Other oil and gas states, including North Dakota, Louisiana, and Wyoming, offer technical training for high school students interested in the oil industry, but Texas’s program is more extensive, despite questions about whether there will be jobs in the near future for its graduates.
