Education & Training

Filling the job vacancies left in the wake of the Baby Boomer Retirement Wave is proving to be particularly difficult for the manufacturing sector.

Before the pandemic hit, the nation’s manufacturing sector — including the refining and petrochemical industries — was wrestling with how to find and train enough young people to replace the wave of Baby Boomers retiring from the workforce at a rate of nearly 6,000 per day.

Teachers tasked with preparing the next generation of petrochemical and refinery workers are becoming the students. 

Lupita Escandon has heard her fair share of “nos.” The mother of three young children had faced plenty of obstacles in balancing life at home with her dream of embarking on a career path for the betterment of her family and herself.

What a headache. This is the thought we all have at some point stemming from the stress of work, or the blue light emitting from our screens.

There aren’t many production facilities in the country more secure than refineries. Leaders in the fuel and petrochemical industries pride themselves on workplace safety and security, which is evident based on even a cursory glance at any AFPM member’s annual security report.

What comes next for returning service members varies greatly. For McNeill and Harbin, both found rewarding work that instilled pride in them not too dissimilar from what they felt serving their country - in the fuel refining and petrochemical industries.

As American manufacturers champion their contributions to economic competitiveness and product innovation today, the industry has yet another reason to celebrate – U.S. manufacturing employment is still on the rise.

The latest job numbers out today (Friday, September 7th) once again paint a rosy picture of the U.S. economy – 201,000 jobs were added in August, above expectations, and wages continued to increase.