The San Jacinto College District in Houston, Texas will standardize its engineering design and drafting curriculum on AVEVA's VANTAGE PDMS (Plant Design Management System). AVEVA is providing a software grant valued at $715,000 to aid the transition.
SJCD will use AVEVA's PDMS exclusively to teach multi-disciplinary engineering (piping, structural design, HVAC, schematics) design and drafting. PDMS continuing education classes will be offered in Fall 2006, and PDMS will be integrated into SJCD's engineering drafting curriculum in Spring 2007. Additionally, SJCD plans to offer customized PDMS training programs to area engineering firms upon request.
According to a statement from AVEVA, high oil prices are driving increased demand for new and refurbished drilling, production, and refining facilities worldwide. The detail design work for many of these global oil and gas projects is being done by Houston-area Engineering/Procurement/Contracting (EPC) firms—many of whom use PDMS. “This business boom has caused a scarcity of qualified, skilled designers and drafting personnel,” notes the AVEVA announcement. “Many firms are too busy to invest in training programs, preferring to pay higher wages to lure qualified workers from competitors. The average hourly wage of a trained PDMS operator in the Houston market has increased to $50 per hour and more over the last year.”
--RSN