State-of-the-Art: PCR Training Center
Story by Marlys Cervantes
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“This is the only setup like this at any Phillips 66 site in the United States, so we are very excited that it is in Ponca City.“
~Erin Liberton
Nestled just south of Ponca City is the new, state-of-the-art training center for the Ponca City Refinery, which came together more quickly than expected once the project team was identified to design and develop the project in early 2024. The team represents various parts of the refinery and includes a diverse group of employees with different skill sets. They received funding in May and went full force ahead with the plans. What started as a 3-year project was almost entirely completed in one year. The floor-to-ceiling remodel of the building now highlights the 10 Life-Saving Rules adhered to at the refinery and provides hands-on training prior to individuals being on the actual job.
The goal of this type of training is explained by Erin Liberton, Sr. Advisor, Public Affairs & Communications: “This is a true statement to what Phillips 66 believes about the safety of not only their people but anyone that interacts and works with us every day.”
The Center will be utilized to ensure that those working in the refinery are trained even before they hit the refinery floor. P66 has a long-term relationship with Pioneer Technology Center where the refinery team develops training programs and the staff at PTC handles the initial safety training and clearances for contractors. One project team lead says of the partnership, “We design, they execute.”
After discussions about how to improve training occurred following the last turnaround, P66 realized the opportunity for more hands-on training through simulated experiences would be valuable to contractors and employees. Now, they will have a tremendous facility for that training to even better ensure that the onboarding of contractors and training of employees is as robust as possible, with the simulations and equipment mirroring that which is in this location. Since safety is their top concern, this was critical.
What began as a plan for contractors for the refinery has grown to a regional center for all those who work in the refinery. The P66 team has expanded this for their own employees in maintenance, operations and engineering. While they can accommodate a capacity of 115 in their face-to-face classroom and have a 20-computer lab, the most exciting expansions to training are the hands-on and virtual elements. These developments move training from an almost completely computer-based training into field training. Their training will be better suited to visual and kinesthetic learners, rather than focusing solely or primarily on auditory learning.
One of the most exciting and interesting components is the HoloCAVE, which was engineered to provide a live feeling to the training. It was developed by UK Holosphere and is the first of its kind in the U.S. and only the second in the world (the other also belonging to P66). The HoloCAVE includes a digital twin of the refinery to do hazard awareness training and more. Liberton says, “We wanted everyone to have the feeling that the first time they stepped foot into a live unit it didn’t feel like their ‘first time’.” Trainees learn critical information and skills while feeling as if they are in the midst of a virtual reality game, with their own handheld controller while immersed in the refinery and their jobs. The mixed reality method should be perfect for attracting the next generation to these jobs.
With this in mind, they will continue to invest into the HoloCAVE with new tools utilized throughout the refinery and additional discipline-specific fields. They can convert drone footage into a virtual walk-through of the refinery, allowing a 360-degree view. A team member explains, “A huge part of this Training Center is to make their training mimic as exactly as possible what they’re doing out in the field.” Current training programs using this technology include identifying safety issues and determining what the next step is with each issue. It is not only a way to develop skills but a way to help employees be more confident in their knowledge and what to do in situations. They are working with their Instrumentation and Electrical vendor to create a duplicate training simulator to better teach operations personnel about proper actions in emergency situations without putting them or others in potential danger. Just more evidence of this evolving project.
The ways the HoloCAVE can be used for continued growth are impressive. The opportunities for additional training and even greater safety for all working in the refinery is obviously at the heart of this project. Even though all elements of this project will be completed soon, Liberton explains the Center can “constantly evolve and enhance” the training provided, and she expects that to continue to keep it “relevant and effective.” Depending on what training is happening at the time, the Center may be staffed with a combination of Pioneer Technology Center staff for onboarding contractors and PCR’s Training and Learning team, Health & Safety, and others as they continue to build training solutions and opportunities.
The project has great support from all levels of P66, and there was a recent visit from the Executive Leadership Team that included President & CEO Mark Lashier for an in-depth tour. Not surprisingly, they were impressed with the facility and the work thus far that makes safety an even stronger reality for PCR. They earlier hosted their Community Advisory Council as well, to see how work was going on the Center.
Numerous local companies were and are being used for this tremendous project, so many in the community have been involved in a variety of ways. You do not want to miss seeing this Center, which is both innovative and beautiful.
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