OREANDA-NEWS. Power management company Eaton today announced that its Experience Center in Houston hosted more than 120 Project GRAD high school students for an interactive educational seminar focused on power technologies commonly used in the energy utility, oil and gas, and petrochemical industries.

The program, a partnership between Lone Star College and the JPMorgan Chase College and Career Institutes and led by Project GRAD, provides high school students with industry oriented educational experiences to encourage students to attend college and pursue high demand careers in the Houston area.

“The young people in high school today – who will be making choices about their education following high school graduation – are simply unaware of the availability of positions in Houston’s main sectors and the academic pathways to access these careers,” said Ann B. Stiles, Ed.D., president and chief executive officer, Project GRAD. “Project GRAD’s JPMorgan Chase College and Career Institutes offer high school age students from underserved neighborhoods the experience of exploring college and career opportunities – allowing students to realize the real possibility of obtaining a postsecondary degree or certificate, while also facilitating a better prepared workforce for Houston’s future.”

Project GRAD’s College Institutes provide transformational experiences for high school students that have a profound effect on the likelihood of a student’s successful enrollment in college. The collaboration with Eaton’s Experience Center in Houston further supports Project GRAD, JPMorgan Chase, Lone Star College, and Workforce Solution’s goal to connect young people to credentials and opportunities available in Houston’s current economic landscape.

“Project GRAD shares Eaton’s vision of helping close the industry knowledge gap by fostering a training environment to prepare and motivate high school students who may soon take the reins in the industry,” said Allan Clark, manager, Eaton’s Experience Center in Houston. “Our Experience Center in Houston allows the community’s next generation of young innovators to reach their fullest potential through hands-on training and real-world experiences with power management products.”

The educational seminar, which was held on July 21, provided students with an overview of the Experience Center and featured a light-emitting diode (LED) technology demonstration, petrochemical fundamentals and a walk through of Eaton’s simulated petrochemical refinery.

“The most enjoyable part of my visit to the Experience Center was the oil rig mock up, I loved getting to see the mechanical aspects of the rig,” said Dev Tavares, participant, Project GRAD. “The more I talk to professionals who have gone to college, the more I want to work harder toward my own college admission.”

Eaton’s Experience Center in Houston features a 14,000-square foot simulated petrochemical refinery and power distribution grid with more than 8,000 products installed in applications from upstream to midstream to downstream. The interactive environment is divided into process and containment areas that allow visitors to experience a wide range of oil and gas training opportunities for hazardous and non-hazardous applications. The facility’s mock refinery gives visitors access to live demonstrations of difficult-to-reach oil and gas applications both offshore and land-based.