A new breed of operators  By Agnes Shanley, Managing Editor
Share Print Related RSS   With all the downsizing going on
today, there's one group of people whose jobs promise to be
secure: skilled process operators and control technicians for
chemical processing plants. These paraprofessionals are in short
supply today, and the need for them will be greater than ever as
more baby boomers retire over the next ten years.  There are
just a few problems. First and foremost, as Eastman Chemical CEO
Brian Ferguson points out in his exclusive Chemical Processing
op-ed in "In the News" (November 2003), most U.S. high schools
aren't preparing their graduates to step directly into skilled
jobs. Allowing upperclassmen to designate core courses as
"electives" has watered down curricula and led to serious
deficiencies in math, science, computer and communications
skills.  In fact, according to the National Association of
Manufacturers and Labor Department statistics, if the situation
doesn't change, 40% of the entry-level