Lone Star College System, along with eight other community colleges of the upper Texas Gulf Coast, will have a major presence at the 2014 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo March 4-23 at Reliant Park.

Representatives from each college will be located at the ExxonMobil Community College Petrochemical Initiative (CCPI) exhibit in the foyer of Reliant Center, between Halls A and B, ready to discuss job and career opportunities in the petrochemical and construction trades fields — and how to prepare for them.

“We are excited about this opportunity at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,” said Linda Head, LSCS associate vice chancellor for workforce education and corporate partnerships and member of the ExxonMobil CCPI Steering Committee. “Rodeo officials are telling us that all attendance indicators predict a record attendance at this year’s rodeo. Our hope is to have thousands of meaningful conversations with individuals interested in stable, well-paying and challenging jobs in the petrochemical industry.”

According to industry sources, petrochemical plants along the Texas Gulf Coast are spending more than $35 billion to expand facilities over the next decade. Those expansions, along with the retirement of existing workers, are expected to provide jobs for more than 50,000 skilled workers.

Visitors to the rodeo are encouraged to stop by the ExxonMobil CCPI booth to discuss jobs and job training, and view a “hands-on” demonstration from an in-demand career field. As an added incentive, ExxonMobil CCPI will be giving away an Apple iPad each day of the rodeo.

Joining LSCS are Alvin Community College, Brazosport College, College of the Mainland, Galveston College, Houston Community College, Lee College, San Jacinto College and Wharton County Junior College. Each is a member of the initiative, created through a grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation to help colleges find and train the next generation of skilled workers for the petrochemical industry.

Gates open at 10 a.m. Participating colleges will rotate service at the rodeo according to the following schedule:

Alvin Community College	March 18, 22
Brazosport College	March 10, 20
College of the Mainland	March 7, 13
Galveston College	March 6, 17
Houston Community College	March 8, 15
Lee College	March 12, 16
Lone Star College	March 4, 11, 21
San Jacinto College	March 5, 19
Wharton County Jr. College	March 9, 14

Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion.  Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest-growing community college systems in the nation.  Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, seven centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online.

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