Skipping College for Lucrative Jobs in the Gulf Coast’s Oil and Gas Industry

New York Times Journalism Institute

When Nicholas Tolliver graduated from high school, he skipped college and headed straight for the chemical plant.
Like many other Louisiana students who are looking to make big money in a short time, Mr. Tolliver, who is 27 and from New Roads, sought out employment in the oil and gas industry instead of enrolling at a college or university.
In 2005, Mr. Tolliver enrolled at a community college in Baton Rouge to take business classes. But after a conversation with a neighbor who said he could earn as much as $100,000 a year as an oil or gas technician, he transferred to a certification program to receive training for the industry.

“What sold me was the pay,” Mr. Tolliver said. “There are not too many places that you make that much that young.”

Louisiana is a region with a high demand for workers who can weld and work on oil rigs that are scattered along the Gulf Coast. Oil- and gas-related occupations are expected to grow as much as 22 percent by 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many of which require only a basic level of education and work experience or on-the-job training. New Orleans has seen growth in the demand for welders because of the continuing effort to rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina, and because of new projects like a hospital corridor in downtown New Orleans.
The new construction has proved appealing for high school graduates who are interested in transitioning into high-paying jobs without a four-year college degree. Many of them are employed by the oil and petrochemical industries, which includes working at refineries and chemical plants, where jobs are plentiful and higher paying.
“Louisiana is in the midst of a huge economic and workforce development boom,” said Quintin Taylor, the executive director of media at the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. “Companies are expanding or relocating to Louisiana for a number of different reasons, primarily because oil is a big business.”
The State Education Department reports that just 28 percent of Louisiana’s high school students continue their education after graduation. To improve those numbers, the Louisiana educational system has implemented programs that train students for careers in the technical and industrial fields.
The city has also supported education initiatives and certification programs for students who are interested in entering various industries that require an understanding of industrial or process technology, such as oil, gas, food production and chemical plants. Many of them allow students to take classes and receive their industry certificates simultaneously.
“Simply put, too few young adults in Louisiana have the skills and credentials to assume the high-wage jobs offered in today’s Louisiana economy,” said Barry Landry, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Education.
Mr. Landry pointed to a program called Jump Start, which allows students to take technical classes alongside their regular high school curriculum so that they graduate with degrees, ready to apply to jobs in demand for their region. Mr. Landry said it is the state’s new program for “school districts, colleges and businesses to collaborate in providing career courses and workplace experiences to high school students, allowing them to continue their education after high school, certifying them for the career fields most likely to lead to high-wage jobs.”
The lucrative career opportunities are also appealing to people whose professional pursuits do not pan out.

Students at Nunez Community College 

are able to earn a certification in welding

 and are exposed to multiple job opportunities. 

Taylor Turner | NYT Institute

“We are getting a number of students that already have their four-year degree,” said Thomas R. Warner, the chancellor of Nunez Community College, which offers industrial technical training. He said the school’s enrollment is increasing due to its certification programs. “They know the jobs are out there and they are graduating in other areas that are great,” he said, “but the jobs are not as promised as they are right now in process technology and welding.”
Not all students who graduate from technical schools are guaranteed employment after graduation and for some of them, it does not become the lifelong career they may have envisioned.
Le’Ambra Alfred, 22, received a certificate in process technology in 2011, having trained to become an oil rig operator. Not long after, he obtained a job at a major oil company in Louisiana. The money was good, but the hours were long.
“Those are the negatives to the job,” he said. “It also takes a while to move up and you have to know someone.”
Mr. Alfred said he always worried about the long-term security of his job. The technical programs offer a “good degree if you plan on living in Louisiana or in the oil states for the rest of your life, but if you want to move to other areas, it may not be,” he said.
Mr. Alfred is now pursuing a career in medicine at Grambling State University.
Michael Whetstone, an offshore field supervisor, has been in the industry for more than 40 years. He believes it can sustain students over the course of long and fruitful careers.
“This industry isn’t built for everyone, everyone can’t do this work, but you never really get laid off,” he said. “If something slows down in one sector, you can move and do something else. There is a lot of diversity.”

October 22, 1999

This story features the struggles and successes of an undocumented student pursing a higher education and a better life.

Miseducation: Beyond many means

This story features one extraordinary individual who leads a group of students to help reform the education system for migrant students in China.

http://ddce.utexas.edu/news/2013/10/10/miseducation-video-focuses-on-education-in-china/

Save The Post Office

-->

The United States Postal Service is implementing cost cutting measures while on the verge of running out of money. 

Due to budget cuts, the South Texas town of Cedar Lake, population 683, could soon lose its post office. Every year, Cedar Lake resident Bobbie Johnson estimates about 20,000 pieces of mail are routed through the small towns mailing office. According to data presented by the U.S. Postal Service, some 3,700 small town post offices made the list of those that could potentially be closed as the U.S. Postal Service tightens its reigns. Johnson says if the post office in her small town closes, the nearest branch would be more than 35 miles away. According to a U.S. Postal Service spokesman, these closures and other cost cutting measures could save the federal government money.

The possibility of a collapse of the U.S. Postal Service has put the longtime service on the verge of default. The lead Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe warned that without immediate assistance from Congress, “the USPS could default on its payment and be out of money by next year, forcing it to shut down all operations.”

The 238-year-old institution has recently been buckling under the pressure of massive payments for future retiree benefits and dwindling revenue as more Americans communicate by email. Last year, the USPS reported $16 billion in revenue loss. The service is in need of rapid and drastic restructuring to remain financially viable in the future.  

The proposed USPS cuts are big. Donahoe presented a number of measures that he argues would halt the USPS’s rapid financial decline, including the elimination of the annual pre-fund payment requirement, stopping Saturday mail delivery and terminating a “no-layoff” clause in a contract with unionized postal workers.

According to Donahoe, “cutting service down to five days a week instead of six, is a proposal that has been kicked around for years, and would save about $3 billion a year.”          

 Donahoe has also urged Congress to allow him to shut down standalone post offices, moving them into convenience stores and supermarkets instead.

These proposals have been met with resistance, not least by postal workers who stand to lose their jobs but by USPS customers as well.

Johnson and other mail service customers are outraged at the actions the USPS plan to take.    “Congress needs to leave Saturday delivery and the USPS alone,” Johnson said. “This is just another way to force the post office to be doomed so that it can become someone's private profit.”

Not all postal service customers are in opposition to the proposed budget cuts.

Postal customer Brian Fontenot said “the biggest problems the post office faces are obvious; they refuse to adapt to the digital age which means less paper mail moving.”

Fontenot feels these cost cutting measures and no mail delivery on Saturday would be great strides towards modernization for the USPS.

Mail carrier Kiah Williams is worried that the budget cuts will affect her employment.

“It is not about having Saturday’s off,” Williams said, “but being able to make money; a change in the delivery schedule could put me out of work.”

            The USPS is not technically “broke” — yet.   
     The USPS brings in profits every year. The financial problem it faces now comes from a 2006 Congressional mandate that requires the agency to pre-pay into a fund that covers health care costs for future retired employees. Under the mandate, the USPS is required to make an annual $5.5 billion payment over ten years, through 2016.  

            Revenue has also been declining for years, and the postal service does not rely on taxpayer funds. Until 1971, mail delivery was handled by the Post Office Department, a Cabinet department in the federal government. Postal worker strikes prompted President Nixon to pass the Postal Reorganization Act in 1971, transforming it into the semi-independent agency we now know as the United States Postal Service. The USPS has not used taxpayer money since 1982, when postage stamps became products instead of forms of taxation. Taxpayer money is only used in some cases to pay for mailing voter materials to disabled and overseas Americans.

            USPS spokespersons have been adamant in emphasizing that they are not requesting taxpayer funds from the federal government to make this year’s payment. Rather, they say, the USPS is asking Congress to authorize access to an estimated $7 billion that they overpaid into the future retiree pension fund in previous years.

            “The Postal Service is advancing an important new approach to delivery that reflects the strong growth of our package business and responds to the financial realities resulting from America’s changing mailing habits,” Donahoe said in a statement. “We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings.”

            The USPS has been the topic of much debate over the past couple of years as it reviews its options now that the digital world has seemingly rendered mail service near-obsolete. Though widespread email use has all but eliminated the need to send letters and many people are going paperless in an effort to be green, a lot of people still rely on the post office to deliver bills–especially those who don’t want to give out their banking information online–and package delivery is always a concern.

            In an attempt to make things easier for its customers, the Postal Service has even introduced a new service for packages recently that includes giving the customer the ability to pay for and print their own shipping labels at home, then schedule a pick-up using one of the service’s flat-rate boxes. But the agency says it will continue to make packages a priority even as it prepares to end Saturday mail service, scheduled to begin this summer.

 

Austin residents raise money to fight leukemia

-->

A new nighttime race series came to Austin on Saturday giving Austinites a chance to run through lasers, black-light tunnels glowing trees changing color to the music.

 Dressed in eccentric, glow-in-the-dark costumes, with lights galore and neon colors dancing across the night sky, more than 10,000 runners padded to the beat of the music blasting overhead. Colorful glitter and sparkles covered their sweat-streaked faces. The Playboy bunny and Tron ran side-by-side into the lighting effects that extended 3.1 miles.

Over 10,000 Austinites took to the course.

Among the thousands of runners, 11-year-old Jordan Johnson raced to the front of the pack. She had participated in five running events, but says this is her absolute favorite.

 “Basically you dress up crazy with lots of glow in the dark things and run in a cool and weird race,” Johnson said.

Racers are encouraged to light themselves with glow tubes, neon, and LED lights. One participant crowned with pink hair and sporting a pink tutu described the race as he waited in line to register.

“It’ll look like you’re dancing at a rave that's suddenly busted by the cops, so everyone sprints for the exits, leaving a trail of glitter, glow sticks, and giggles,” he said.

According to Madeleine Smith, program director for Leukemia Texas, “Electric Run is a 5k run, a show, participation art, and celebration of life.” 

Artists and lighting technicians from Coachella, Dreamworks Animations, Disney and Vegas come together to create a bright experience for runners. Each running course had its own distinct lighting experiences.

“Whatever course runners choose to participate in, we want to deliver a world filled with light and sound unlike anything they’ve ever imagined,” Smith said.

The course ran through downtown Austin.

Runners add their own creative touch by dressing up in lighted costumes that glow, shine, and blink. In addition to participating in a one of a kind running event, participants received custom shirts, glow necklaces, bracelets, and sunglasses.

As runners crossed the finish line, the music kicked up a notch and everyone danced the night away to tunes from the DJ. The real celebration here was not the completion of the three miles by the runners, but their efforts to raise monies to benefit Leukemia Texas - a Dallas based non-profit organization that serves leukemia patients across Texas. 

Volunteers helped runners register.

In addition to running nearly three miles, Johnson was among 300 hundred volunteers who helped register participants, hand out packages, set up and raise money for the event.

Her mother says she is trying to teach her daughter at a young age the joys of volunteering and having fun at the same time.

Austin crime rates on the rise

            City officials and Austin Police have teamed up for a program to combat vehicle theft in the city.

            Police reports show thousands of cars are stolen in Austin each year. The city of Austin is combating this with a special task force designed to educate the public about what they can do to protect their vehicles.

According to Austin officials cars 

parked on the side of the road on 

Riverside are highly targeted by thieves.

            The Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) met Wednesday to address burglary of motor vehicles in the Austin area. The ABTPA oversees the impact of auto theft in Texas and provides financial support to fight it. 

            In the agency meeting, ABTPA Director Charles Caldwell provided statistics and projected an interactive crime map, which indicated an increase in crime rates in Austin. Among reported incidents assault, burglary and robbery are on the rise. According to the map, crime rates have spiked in Downtown, Riverside and West Campus.

            One plan of action the agency has implemented to decrease crime, particularly in the Riverside area, is the use of bait cars. According to police reports, bait cars are vehicles fitted with high-tech video and audio recording devices that are put in areas where theft is rampant. As soon as a thief breaks in and starts the ignition, the engine is disabled and the doors are locked. A silent alarm notifies nearby police who, using the built-in GPS system, then take action.

            Austin Police Department’s bait car program and the auto theft unit is under high scrutiny from the media and the public. However, Bait Car Program research shows the modified vehicles designed to trap car thieves have reduced vehicle theft by more than 50 percent.

            “New electronic signs up around the city warn criminals that a bait car may be in the area to deter thieves,” Caldwell said.

            Toryn Johnson, University Villages Property and Leasing Manager, welcomes the new measures to combat crime that have been put in place in the Riverside area.

            “I think this will help keep our students safe and make them feel more at ease about where they are living,” Johnson said.

Signs have been posted throughout apartment 

complexes on Riverside to warn residents of 

burglaries in the area.

            Austin police have also installed signs throughout apartment complexes in the Riverside area warning residents to lock their cars, take their valuables and not leave anything in sight in your car.

            Not all Riverside residents are at ease with the new measures put in place.

            “I still do not feel safe knowing that crime is on the rise here,” said Jaila Allen, a University Villages resident. “Seeing the warning signs about theft is only making me feel more uncomfortable.”

            David McDonald, a University Estates resident living in the Riverside area, said he pays attention to crime in his neighborhood. “How the police and city officials handle the crime in this area will determine where I choose to live this coming school year,” said McDonald.

            As a part of the program, Caldwell hopes the signs will make thieves think twice about targeting cars where the signs are located.

            The signs have been up just a few weeks, but some have asked if the signs simply push criminals toward their neighborhood.

Segregation in Texas Schools

With a board vote last month, Austin school officials will designate three single sex schools for the 2014-15 academic year.

In a 5-3 vote, Austin Independent School District approved to turn Pearce

and Garcia middle schools into single-sex schools. AISD officials said students who do not wish to attend these schools may choose to enroll in Dobie, Martin, Lamar or Webb middle schools. Approval was also implemented for an all-boys school at the Alternative Learning Center, to serve as a partner school for the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.

Implementing single-sex schools has triggered a debate that raises political, civil rights and socioeconomic concerns. According to a study by Columbia University, some schools, mostly in the south, are “resegregating,” either by gender or by race. In Austin, the debate over segregation stems from gender divided schools.

The issue makes Ja’Michael Darnell, a student volunteer at AISD’s Houston Elementary, wonder why boys and girls should be taught separately and what proves this helps them succeed in the classroom.

“I don't think people should force kids to go to coed or single sex school,“ Darnell said. “I think kids should just choose on their own.”

The National Association for Single-Sex Public Education lists single-sex education long term in many private schools and estimates that approximately 400 public schools now offer some form of single-sex education. NASSPE research suggests driving forces in the single-sex education movement are the differences in how males and females learn.

Acknowledging this fact, Martin Smith, UT education curriculum and instruction graduate student has his own opinion on the issue of single-sex education.

 “What if an administration thoughtlessly excluded a course because it is believed more popular with the other gender,” Smith said. “You might unintentionally reinforce gender stereotypes by offering only the expected preferences that comes with single-sex education.”

            Kinnisha Joseph, an AISD Hillcrest Elementary teacher, favors the idea of single-sex schools.

“Single-sex public schools will improve the educational experiences of low-income and minority students,” Joseph said, “especially girls from these areas who are likely to miss out on programs that can help them develop.”

Since their approval by the U.S. Department of Education in 2006, support for single-gender schools has been mixed.

According to a survey conducted by AISD among households within the attendance zone of the approved single-sex schools, less than half of the families of students favor establishing single-sex middle schools. Families with students in upper elementary and middle school grades were somewhat less likely than those with students at lower grades to support a single‐gender middle school. When broken down by ethnicity and socioeconomic status, less than half of Hispanic, white and African-American families of students in AISD’s urban area support a single-sex school in their neighborhood.