SOWELA honors Phillips 66 for its long-term philanthropic support and workforce pipeline
New Orleans, LA – October 9, 2025
SOWELA Technical Community College recently honored Phillips 66 with the Curt Eysink Excellence in Workforce Development Award at the annual Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Foundation Impact Awards Gala. The award recognizes the accomplishments of local organizations, businesses and industry for their exemplary contributions to higher education and/or workforce development in Louisiana.
Phillips 66 is a long-term supporter of SOWELA, demonstrating a rare combination of strategic vision, philanthropic generosity and tangible workforce impact. Their ongoing support for SOWELA extends beyond check‑writing. It enhances educational equity, fosters direct alignment between training and industry needs and builds a skilled talent pipeline that lifts the region’s economy. Due to their multi-decade partnership, deep community investment and measurable workforce outcomes, Phillips 66 stands as a model honoree for this award.
In 2024, Phillips 66 donated $1 million to expand SOWELA’s Process Technology Center. This gift enables a 1,700-square-foot expansion, effectively doubling the lab space and creating new classrooms, storage, a lounge and restrooms. It significantly increases hands‑on learning opportunities for the program’s growing enrollment.
Today, 25% of Phillips 66’s process operators are graduates of the SOWELA Process Technology program, demonstrating that the company not only invests in education but also hires from it, thereby feeding its workforce pipeline with locally trained professionals. The company also consistently provides scholarships to SOWELA students and operates an internship program that places students in its plants. These internships deliver practical, on-the-job skills and provide SOWELA and Phillips 66 with direct feedback to help ensure that curricula remain aligned with industry needs.
About SOWELA Technical Community College
SOWELA Technical Community College offers dynamic instruction and practical learning opportunities that prepare students to seamlessly transfer or to excel in today’s workforce. For more information, visit www.sowela.edu.