Matt Blackburn is an electrical superintendent at Zachry’s Chevron Phillips Chemical project in Old Ocean, Texas. It’s the third job site where he has not only performed his regular duties, but has taken on the additional responsibility of being a proctor instructor for the Zachry Craft Advancement Program (ZCAP).

This on-the-job training program has become especially important in the current industry climate because of the strong demand for craft skills. ZCAP, which the company created in 2009, is open to all craft employees who want to develop the abilities necessary to advance their careers, from green helpers with no experience to more seasoned craft workers approaching journey-level status.

ZCAP focuses on helping participants become capable of demonstrating competence in their crafts. It addresses both knowledge and physical skills. The employees receive specific information about the steps involved in acquiring journey-level skills. Along the way, proctor instructors assess their progress based upon how they perform the hands-on tasks that their jobs require.

ZCAP Highlights

• ZCAP is made available to all employees and is self-directed, requiring participants to apply individual initiative to learn how to complete necessary tasks and have a proctor instructor sign off as they complete them.
• Once an employee shows mastery of a specific skill to a proctor, the proctor signs off on that task in the employee’s qualification book so the employee can move on to the next task.

REAPING THE BENEFITS

Training Supervisor Mike Word manages the ZCAP program at the Phillips 66 LPG Export Terminal project in Freeport, Texas, where 80 employees are enrolled in the program and 36 supervisors are proctor instructors.

Word noted how ZCAP helps Zachry identify the craft “superstars” who are willing to put in the extra effort to earn their credentials, adding that ZCAP-qualified employees are promoted when possible and receive preferential hiring consideration.

“The whole idea is that we’re training our workforce so we have qualified employees working for us now and we’re developing a workforce for the future,” said Word. “I’ve been out in the field a long time and I’ve seen the need for good craftsmen. There’s a true need for this program.”

To read the full article and learn more about the program, go to http://www.zachrygroup.com/force_report/ZForce_MayJune_2015_ENG.PDF