Kilgore College’s Process Technology program has renewed its Texas skill standards recognition through Dec. 31, 2029, following approval by the Texas Workforce Investment Council.
The council renewed the college’s Texas skill standards recognition for the Process Technology program’s Chemical/Refining Process Technician track on Nov. 17, 2025. The program was originally recognized in 2014.
The renewal confirms that the Associate of Applied Science curriculum fully integrates the industry-validated Chemical/Refining Process Technician skill standards and that students are assessed on the competencies identified by employers in the field. Because the recognized curriculum remained unchanged, the college qualified for an abbreviated renewal process.
Students who graduate from the recognized program are eligible to receive the official “Texas skill standards recognized” gold-embossed credential seal on their Associate of Applied Science degree. The seal signifies completion of a curriculum aligned with industry-defined skill standards.
The recognized curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in the petrochemical, refining and process industries by aligning coursework with industry-defined competencies.
“Maintaining this recognition through 2029 demonstrates the work our faculty and industry partners have done to ensure the curriculum continues to reflect current workforce needs,” said Brandon Belken, dean of Industrial Technologies. “Our students benefit from training that aligns with the knowledge and skills employers expect in today’s process technology workforce.”
For more information on Process Technology classes at KC, visit www.kilgore.edu/process-tech.
About the Texas Workforce Investment Council:
The Texas Workforce Investment Council, through the Texas Skill Standards Board initiative, recognizes community and technical college programs whose curricula align with industry-defined skill standards. The council is part of the Office of the Governor and oversees workforce system planning in Texas. For more information, visit: http://www.gov.texas.gov/organization/twic/texas_skill_standards.
PHOTO ATTACHED: Representatives from Kilgore College’s Industrial Technologies Division display the Texas Workforce Investment Council’s Texas Skill Standards Recognition renewal for the college’s Process Technology program.
Pictured, from left, are Donny Seals, dean of instruction; Alesha O’Steen, department chair and instructor of Instrumentation and Electrical Technology; Michael Powdrill, lead instructor of Process Technology; Gerron Walker, instructor of Process Technology; and Brandon Belken, dean of Industrial Technologies.
Photo by Rachel Stallard/KC