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Bechtel and Lamar State College Port Arthur are working on yet another project to prepare the upcoming workforce.

The newest venture is a six-week program for structural steel ironworkers and another one for pipefitters. Graduates of the program will earn National Center for Construction Education and Research Center core accreditation and earn level one apprenticeship as an ironworker or pipe fitter.

They also have a chance at a job with Bechtel at Port Arthur LNG.

Jesse Kyle, Bechtel recruiting supervisor, said about 50 percent of the workforce at the LNG site for from the region.

Interested individuals can visit Lamar State College Port Arthur to sign up for the classes. From there Bechtel representatives will interview them. There is a limit of 15 students per class.

The ironworker apprentice class begins Sept. 16 and the pipefitter apprentice class begins Sept. 23.

This isn’t the first time Bechtel has partnered with LSCPA. There have been partnerships for Women’s Only Commercial Driver’s License program, Woman’s only carpentry courses.

Bechtel has also worked with Memorial High School and Nederland High School where students trained for apprenticeships and upon graduation were hired for work.

In the first eight months of 2024, LSCPA has received more than $1 million in workforce training grants, covering everything from commercial driving to welding and structural steelwork, according to information from the college.

The grants are being used to assist residents of Southeast and East Texas in their pursuit of marketable skills that will lead to lucrative career opportunities.

“Businesses in this region, and really across the state, are begging for new employees to take on careers in the high-demand jobs,” Dr. Ben Stafford, Vice President for Workforce Training at LSCPA, said. “These grants target these needs directly, impacting residents with life-changing opportunities.”

Some grants focus on LSCPA’s mission to put residents of Port Arthur to work, according to LSCPA.

Through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act, the U.S. Department of Labor has awarded LSCPA a $350,000 Wagner-Peyser Grant. This money will invest in the training of structural steelworkers and riggers at the college’s Industry Training Center in Port Arthur.