State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) announced that Marathon Petroleum Company’s Illinois Refinery Division in Robinson has received an Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) grant in the amount of $37,000 for their on-going safety training at the refinery. Facilitated by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) on behalf of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO), these grant dollars go to Illinois employers who invest in training for their employees.
“We have an abundance of natural resources in Illinois that should be utilized to provide affordable and dependable energy to help fuel homes, businesses, schools and hospitals for our communities,” commented Rep. Adam Niemerg. “This grant is a welcome investment into training today’s workforce and providing additional resources that could lead to more jobs. The grant program supports workers’ efforts to upgrade their skills in order to remain current in new technologies and business practices, enabling companies to remain competitive, expand into new markets and introduce more efficient technologies into their operations. A skilled workforce is essential to Illinois’ continued economic growth and ETIP allows companies to make those investments in their employees.”
The Robinson refinery in Crawford County has a crude oil refining capacity of 252,000 barrels per day. The refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into gasoline, distillates, feedstocks, propane, petrochemicals and heavy fuel oil. Products are distributed by pipeline, transport truck and rail. The refinery was built in 1906 and purchased by Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) in 1924. For more than two decades the Robinson refinery has earned the designation as an “OSHA VPP Star” site.
“We are fortunate to have a company like Marathon in our community that not only supplies gasoline, propane and feedstocks, but also is important in giving back to the community after the recent tornado emergency,” added Rep. Niemerg. “The positive impact of Marathon in Robinson and Crawford County can be felt through their participation and support of high school career fairs, scholarships and job opportunities, as well as their support of the local United Way, local law enforcement with National Night Out, and the Crawford County L.I.F.E. to advocate for Mental Health Wellness.”
According to Dan Dix, Training Specialist at Marathon, “the program has played a significant role in providing hands-on training resources, specifically for our Operations and Maintenance employees. These demonstration units are used for new employee onboarding, operator and technician level upskilling and community vocational events. We are very grateful for the state’s funding and believe these training props play a vital role in providing the required training our employees need to perform exceptionally and safely.”
