BIC Magazine Podcast Network · 2026-10-29 · 5 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
20 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
San Jacinto College's petrochemical energy and technology program sits at the nexus of industry demand and workforce development in the Gulf Coast region. Jim Griffin reveals that process technology and instrumentation represent the most critical skill gaps affecting petrochemical plants, followed by the need for workers who can apply critical thinking and troubleshooting across both digital and mechanical systems. The college maintains alignment through its "built by industry for industry" model, leveraging 100+ industry advisors and proximity to 130 plants within a 12-mile radius to pilot new technologies each term. Griffin emphasizes that despite heavy digitalization and data-driven plant operations, hands-on mechanical skills remain essential - operators still pull valves and fix pumps alongside managing millions of data sets. For owner-operators and contractors seeking talent or partnering with technical schools, the conversation underscores the importance of active curriculum guidance, curiosity-driven hiring preferences, and measuring training outcomes against real facility needs.
Hosted by BIC Magazine. The show scores 50.3/100 on substance across its analysed episodes. See the full show profile.
Process technology is the largest gap, followed closely by instrumentation, as new instrumentation technology is critical for running modern plants.
The program maintains 35 laboratories and works with over 100 industry advisors to pilot new technologies each term, keeping curriculum aligned with emerging trends in automation and digitalization.
Plants are still mechanical systems requiring physical interventions like pulling valves and fixing pumps, even though they're controlled by millions of data sets and digital systems.
Employers prioritize critical thinking, curiosity, asking good questions, and troubleshooting abilities alongside technical competencies.
Schools benefit from active industry engagement and leadership in curriculum changes, with clear communication about facility needs and willingness to test new approaches while measuring outcomes.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode is roughly five minutes of surface-level talking points - skill gaps in process technology and instrumentation, the importance of critical thinking, and hands-on training - none of which would surprise a B2B operator already working in or adjacent to the petrochemical sector. The density of non-obvious claims per minute is extremely low.
Critical thinking. So a lot of it is curiosity, getting these students to be curious. Curious about the right things, asking good questions. Smart people ask smart Questions.
you still run a plant mechanically, right? You still have to pull a valve, fix a pump.
Every claim is a standard workforce-development talking point recycled widely across trade publications and conference panels. There is no contrarian argument, no first-principles reasoning, and no counterintuitive framing anywhere in the episode.
Process technology is probably the biggest, I would say followed closely by instrumentation.
we're built by industry for industry. So we don't make any changes without industry engagement
Jim Griffin holds a genuine senior role in technical workforce education for the petrochemical sector and has real proximity to industry via advisory relationships, which is mildly relevant; however, he is an administrator/educator rather than an operator who has run plants or scaled a B2B business, limiting the practitioner depth a listener would expect.
Jim is senior Vice president of the college and the Lionel CPET program
130 plants within a 12 mile radius
A handful of concrete numbers appear (35 laboratories, 100+ industry advisors, 130 plants within 12 miles, a 20-item punch list) but none are explained with context, outcomes, or metrics - they read as credential-dropping rather than evidence supporting a substantive argument.
We have 35 laboratories. We kept our laboratories current with all of our industry advisors. We have over 100 industry advisors.
this term we've got a Punch list of 20 items. We're working with industry.
The host leads with effusive praise throughout, asks no follow-up questions, never pushes back on a single claim, and frames every question in a way that telegraphs the desired positive answer - this is a promotional brand-alignment chat rather than a substantive interview.
I just saw you get off the stage doing your masterful work. What a great panel you had on today.
Jim, I just respect the heck out of your career. Thank you for being such a great friend to Bic and a mentor to me.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this podcast, Jim Griffin, senior vice president of the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy & Technology at San Jacinto College, joins Jeremy Osterberger to discuss the workforce skills most in demand across the petrochemical industry. Griffin explains how training is evolving alongside automation, digitalization and emerging technologies while emphasizing the continued importance of hands-on experience, critical thinking and troubleshooting. He also explores how collaboration between industry and technical education helps keep training aligned with the changing needs of Gulf Coast facilities and employers. “One of the big deliverables is critical thinking. A lot of it is curiosity, getting these students to be curious about the right things, asking good questions. Smart people ask more questions, and all of that critical thinking and troubleshooting.” - Jim Griffin
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Welcome to BIC Magazine's Inside Industry Podcast, the program where business and industry connect to share topics and ideas that move the world's energy. BIC Magazine's Inside Industry Podcast is brought to you by the BIC Alliance. BIC alliance and its sister companies, BIC Magazine, BIC Recruiting, and IVS Investment Banking help industrial businesses grow through marketing and sales, hiring the right people, and merger and acquisition services. Visit bicaliance.com for more information.
Speaker B: I'm so excited to be with Jim Griffin of San Jacinto College. Jim is senior Vice president of the college and the Lionel CPET program. Jim, thanks for hanging out with BIC Magazine here at the Gulf Coast Industry Forum hosted by the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region.
Speaker C: My pleasure. I've been reading your magazine for a long time.
Speaker B: Well, uh, thank you, Jim. Always giving us a plug. We appreciate that. Uh, Jim, we both moderate lots of panels. I just saw you get off the stage doing your masterful work. What a great panel you had on today. It
Speaker C: was good, wasn't it? Excellent. Yeah. Three really talented people. They've done a lot in their career. Global assignments, big companies. They made a big impact on their communities.
Speaker B: Fantastic. And, uh, we're so excited to interview all of them. And now we got you on. Well, Jim, uh, let's talk about things. So from your conversations with industry partners, you know, where are you seeing the largest skill gaps in this petrochemical workforce?
Speaker C: Right, exactly. Process technology is probably the biggest, I would say followed closely by instrumentation. Right. A lot of new technology and instrumentation. Can't run our plants without that instrumentation. So, uh, we're enjoying that opportunity to address that skills gap.
Speaker B: Okay, so how is CPET adapting? Training as automation, digitalization, emerging tech. These skills are changing. So how are y' all adapting to that?
Speaker C: Yeah, so, so, on. On our, um, building, it says petrochemical energy and technology. Right. So we have 35 laboratories. We kept our laboratories current with all of our industry advisors. We have over 100 industry advisors. So we bring in new technologies every term. We try those technologies. We run them like a pilot plant. Yeah. And if those technologies stick, then we keep feeding the technology.
Speaker B: I love it. And you're adapting to what's needed. Okay, so, Jim, uh, what are employers and these, uh, contractors? Not just the owner side. What are they, uh, telling you? You know, what are they expecting from this next generation of operators?
Speaker C: Yeah, one of the big deliverable is critical thinking. So a lot of it is curiosity, getting these students to be curious. Curious about the right things, asking good questions. Smart people ask smart Questions. And, um, and all of that critical thinking and troubleshooting.
Speaker B: Jim, so much is digitalized, so much is not hands on. Why is it so important though for someone to get those hands on skills?
Speaker C: Yeah. Well, you know, you still run a plant mechanically, right? You still have to pull a valve, fix a pump. Absolutely. We've got a lot of data, Right. We run plants with millions of data, data sets and we, we uh, control the plant with that. But it's a mechanical plant, right? That's right. There's a lot of moving parts.
Speaker B: Okay. Uh, what role should owner and operators play in helping colleges and really, um, technical training schools, uh, help keep that curriculum aligned with what their facilities need? How do they play in the guidance for the school?
Speaker C: Right. That's a great question. So, so we're built by industry for industry. So we don't make any changes without industry engagement and they lead us in that change. In fact, this term we've got a Punch list of 20 items. We're working with industry. We're going to try that out. So, uh, being willing to change again, asking good questions, being curious and then measuring the outcomes.
Speaker B: Yes. And where you are. You're so tethered, Jen, to such a tremendous volume of plants and assets. Right. So for you guys, you don't have to go far to understand what the community needs.
Speaker C: We are blessed. 130 plants within a 12 mile radius. Wow. Amazing.
Speaker B: Unbelievable. And y' all help them all out. Jim, uh, I just respect the heck out of your career. Thank you for being such a great friend to Bic and a mentor to me. And I mean that sincerely. Thanks for hanging out with Bic Magazine. As always, enjoy
Speaker C: the talk. Thank you, sir.
Speaker A: Thank you for listening to Bic Magazine's Inside Industry Podcast. Log on to bicmagazine.com for industry news and resources. Bic Magazine's Inside Industry Podcast is brought to you by the BIC Alliance. BIC alliance and its sister companies, BIC Magazine, BIC Recruiting and IVS Investment banking, help industrial businesses grow through marketing and sales, hiring the right people and merger and acquisition services. Visit bcalliance.com for more information.
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