Twelve students stood proudly on Tuesday afternoon at the UVICELL Center in Frederiksted. The students were the first to successfully complete a new certificate program designed specifically for individuals with experience in the industry but lacked formal credentials. The Certificate in Process Technology program is a collaborative effort between the UVICELL Center, Virgin Islands Tech and the V.I. Department of Labor (VIDOL).
The intensive program was underwritten by the National Emergency Grant (NEG) through VIDOL to support dislocated Hovensa workers. It is a condensed version of the two-year Associates Degree in Process Technology offered at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and incorporates all the technical components of that program. The certificate provides an opportunity for the participants to update and improve their skills while achieving valuable credentials from UVI to assist them in gaining employment.
To be certified as process technologists, students were required to complete the course work and pass comprehensive exams in five areas to include: Basic Refinery Processes and Economics, Safety, Health and the Environment, Process Control Theory and Applications for Operations, Statistical Quality Control for Operations, and Process Systems and Operations Troubleshooting.
“We are extremely pleased that we had an opportunity to collaborate on a program of this magnitude,” said UVICELL Director Ilene Garner. “This program is a small step helping the displaced workers on St. Croix, and we look forward to offering this class again in early 2014,” she said.
The 12 graduates who received their certificates were: Kerol Bruney, Deleno Burroughs, Julio Camacho, Alvin Clement, Conrad Fleming, Phillip Joseph, Gary Mares, Joanna Patterson, John Rogers, Landon Tang Yuk, Demaine Wilson and Zdenek Zapletal. Eleven of the 12 individuals were certified as process technologists, and one has already received employment in Texas.
For more information on the program, call the UVICELL Center at 693-1100.