ADMITTEDLY, it feels like an odd time to be singing the praises of Big Oil.
Last week, the driving season kicked off with gasoline prices hitting a Memorial Day record and profits gushing across the petroleum sector. Recently, the House of Representatives passed anti-gouging legislation to protect the public from "being ripped off" at the pump, in the words of one lawmaker.
But for Southern California refiners, this summer promises to be marked by more than consumer outrage. In July, executives from ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp., BP, Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp. will be celebrating the achievements of as many as 40 low-income men and women who've gone through an intense, seven-month training program that (assuming they pass their final exam) all but assures each a $70,000-a-year job with good benefits at one of the firms.
Although small when it comes to the number of participants, the program is proving to be hugely effective. As a result, it's looked upon as a model for how businesses in a wide variety of fields should approach workforce development.
Lord knows, they're going to have to figure out something -- and fast. One study after another has concluded that a majority of American manufacturers are experiencing a serious shortage of qualified employees, and the situation may well worsen as more and more baby boomers retire. In California, the scarcity of skilled labor is pinching firms in construction, healthcare and other services as well.
"It's not one industry," says Joy Chen, a principal at the executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles and a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles. "It's across the board."
For the oil companies around L.A.'s South Bay, an aging labor force has resulted in the need to recruit 100 to 150 process technicians -- those who run and monitor refinery equipment -- annually. They're also looking for instrument technicians, welders and others. Each is expected to come into the position with at least a modicum of know-how.
Until now, the difficult question has been: Who could possibly fill that pipeline?
Amazingly, as it turns out, the answer was to be found just around the corner -- literally.
About a decade ago, a social services agency called the South Bay Center for Counseling reached out to nearby refineries to land jobs for folks in Torrance, Wilmington, Carson and other spots in the area who were trying to get off welfare.
