(WACO) – Wichita Falls brothers Johnny and Dean Perry, both Building Construction Technology students at Texas State Technical College in Waco, want to take over the world someday as a new version of Drew and Jonathan Scott, the stars of HGTV’s popular show “Property Brothers.”

The Perry brothers learned about career opportunities at the Building Construction Technology program’s Employer Spotlight on Wednesday at TSTC. Ten companies from throughout Texas and as far away as Florida attended the event. More than 60 Building Construction Technology students attended. The students were required to bring their resumes, said Jerome Mendias, chair of the Building Construction Technology program.

Johnny Perry, 20, and Dean Perry, 18, both got interested in construction when they were students at Wichita Falls’ Rider High School. The older brother influenced his younger brother to join him at TSTC to study in the program.

“It is a good field to be in because you are learning at the same time that you are helping people,” Dean Perry said.

Johnny Perry also wants to delve into real estate after getting professional experience alongside his brother.

“I can see myself meeting important people and being the best person I can be,” he said.

Richard Garrett, 30, a Residential Energy Efficiency Specialist certificate student from Clifton, said he liked how TSTC puts the focus on students getting employment after graduation. He is scheduled to graduate in December.

He said the employer event was a way to see what companies might be a good fit for his skills.

“It allows you to prepare and see what you are looking for and where you would start at,” Garrett said. “I’ve always been interested in building as a profession. You do get a sense of accomplishment with finishing a project.”   

Arthur Boussart, 23, a Building Construction Technology major from Taylor and a graduate of Taylor High School, is scheduled to graduate next spring but is already thinking about his job options in the Austin area. His goal is to become a construction superintendent one day.

“Each company that is here made me feel like I have an opportunity to grow,” Boussart said.

The companies represented a range of services from sprinkler installation to mechanical services for construction projects.

Josh Roberts, an estimating supervisor at Nucor Building Systems in Terrell, said he wanted to attend the event because the company has hired TSTC students in the past. Nucor, the largest steel producer in the United States and largest recycler in the Western Hemisphere, is a Fortune 500 company seeking workers who exhibit leadership skills and knowledge of mathematics along with technical abilities in welding, estimating, detailing and other fields.

“We recognize TSTC as a place to build a relationship with because there are good people,” Roberts said. “TSTC, from what I have seen, has done a good job of reaching out.”

Brad Bailey, a general superintendent at Brazos Masonry Inc. in Waco, attended the employer event to talk to students about the need for bricklayers. The company has done work in Waco, Austin, Edinburg, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Midland.

“We need people whether they need to learn or have experience,” Bailey said. “There’s more work now than we can manage.”

The Building Construction Technology program worked with TSTC’s Industry Relations and Talent Management to plan the event.

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College will partner with Coca-Cola Refreshments USA Inc. in Waco in workforce development made possible with a Texas Workforce Commission grant.

Representatives of TSTC, Coca-Cola and the TWC announced Monday the awarding of a $681,114 Skills Development Fund grant. The money will be used to train 277 workers to improve skills in advanced programmable logic control, mechanical drives, electrical theory and drawings and laser safety.

Forty-two of the 277 jobs in Waco will be newly created, while the remaining jobs will be upgraded at the company. The company’s inventory control clerks, maintenance mechanics, forklift operators, labelers and others will receive the training. The average wage will be $21.36 after training.

The grant is being touted as a way to improve safety and workers’ retention and performance.

The workforce training is predicted to have a $6.1 million impact on the Waco area, said Elton Stuckly, Executive Vice Chancellor/Chief Operating Officer, TSTC in Waco.

“I see no losers in this venture,” said  Stuckley. “Everybody comes out ahead.”

The state must continue to develop a skilled workforce to keep Texas economically competitive worldwide, said.Ruth R. Hughs, Texas Workforce Commissioner Representing Employers.

And, TSTC is a good fit because of its tradition of technical job training using grants and partnerships.

“We have the technology to make things happen worldwide,” said Stuckly.

Coca-Cola is the world’s largest beverage company with Fanta, Sprite, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola-Zero and other drinks as its brands. The company is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the largest private employers in the world with more than 700,000 employees. The Waco production facility is on Imperial Drive.

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College student Isidro Renteria, 21, of San Angelo chose diesel equipment technology over criminal justice to study after high school.

“I just felt like a university wasn’t a fit for me but a technical school would be good for me,” he said.

Renteria is scheduled to graduate in August with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Diesel Equipment Technology and plans to return to West Texas to work.

Renteria and more than 60 TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology students gathered at the Murray Watson Jr. Student Recreation Center on Thursday, July 14, for an Employer Spotlight hosted by the DET program and TSTC Industry Relations and Talent Management.

“I wanted to see the different options of companies and what they have that benefits you as a person and as a technician you can pursue,” Renteria said.

The event was geared toward Diesel Equipment Technology students who met with professionals working for state and national companies seeking qualified technicians and specialists. Company representatives had tables inside the gymnasium and also spoke in individual information sessions in a recreation center meeting room.

Texas Disposal Systems in Austin is one of the largest independently owned solid waste collection, disposal and recycling companies in the nation. The fast-growing company is in need of diesel mechanics who can perform preventive maintenance, brake work and after-repair diagnostics, according to Krista Izzo, a company human resources generalist. The company has hired TSTC graduates in the past.

Another company represented at the event, Altec Service Group of Birmingham, Alabama, has service centers in Houston and Waxahachie. The company, one of the largest utility and telecommunications providers in the world for hydraulic equipment, currently has two TSTC students doing internships.

The company has 27 service centers in Canada and the United States and expects to build 30 additional centers in the next three years.

“Our growth is so huge that this is the first time we at the company have gone after technicians,” said Jeff Drummonds, a company national service growth and development manager. “Our goal is to get out here and build relationships and have the best people.”

Texas State Technical College student Victor Membreno wants to use diesel technology to springboard into the engineering field.

“It’s cool to wake up and do something you enjoy doing,” said Membreno, 20, of Brenham and a Diesel Equipment Technology major scheduled to graduate in August.

Nick Clawson, 22, a Diesel Equipment Technology major from Paris, Texas, has started job hunting ahead of his planned December graduation. His goal is to work in Texas and later move to Minnesota.

“I’ve been doing mechanics since I was 5,” Clawson said. “I like to work on semi-trucks.”

Other companies in attendance were H-E-B, Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc., Volt Workforce Solutions, Waste Management, Travel Centers of America and RDO Equipment Co.

(WACO) – Devon Wilson began observing his mother and aunts cooking when he was in elementary school.

Now, the 17-year-old 11th-grade student at Rapoport Academy in Waco enjoys baking cakes and wants one day to open his own restaurant.

Until then, he can learn and watch – which is what he and 19 other Waco and Killeen students are doing this week at the Education Service Center Region 12’s three-day Culinary Arts experience at the Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center at Texas State Technical College in Waco.

“For me, it is to get a close look into the culinary arts business and how to start off,” Wilson said.

Students attended their first session on Monday learning about knife cutting and using their skills to chop potatoes to make French fries. The students also used a recipe provided by Culinary Arts program staff to make spicy dipping sauce.

On Wednesday and Friday, the high school students will learn about baking and meat.

“I think hands-on learning is better than anything,” said Nakeria Lynch, an Upward Bound site coordinator for Region 12 ESC in Waco.

Jasmine Ramos, 17, a senior at Waco High School, said she enjoyed using knives.

“When you cut, you rock the knife instead of going straight down,” she said.

Ramos, an aspiring nurse, looks forward to learning more cooking skills throughout the week.

“I hope one day to cook for my mother and make her happy,” she said.

Culinary Arts faculty members and students regularly do outreach activities with area youth in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and summer camps.

“They are the future,” Culinary Arts faculty member Gayle Van Sant said. “We hope the passion that we have can transfer to the students through food. It is a diverse industry. We like to see up-and-coming students.”

Region 12’s students have learned so far this summer about leadership skills, self-defense and community service and visited the University of North Texas in Denton. Later in July, the group will take an educational trip to Washington, D.C.

The high school students are part of Region 12’s Upward Bound program. The initiative from the U.S. Department of Education works with students from low-income or educationally deficient-families who are expected to be first-generation college students.

“It (Upward Bound) gives you more of an experience with college,” said Brittaney Rivera, 15, a 10th-grade student at Killeen High School. “It helps you decide what to do and helps you with your studies.”

(WACO) – The police officers were ready with guns drawn as they slowly walked down a hallway and entered a room where an armed gunman was standing in wait. The officers exchanged gunfire with the man, who fell to the ground. The officers surrounded him and checked him for additional weapons.

The situation was only a scenario.

But, it was one the Texas State Technical College Police Department is capable of facing in a real crisis.

“It’s good to keep in mind something that would really happen,” said Detective Roy Luna.

Officers recently had active shooter training in the old Culinary Arts building on Avenue D on TSTC’s Waco campus. The building worked well because of its maze-like design, Police Chief Brian Davis said.

“It went exceedingly well,” Davis said about the training. “It was important right now. It was also good practice.”

The training was done through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University in San Marcos. The training center has courses in active shooter events and terrorism response tactics.

TSTC officers were led by Sgt. Joe Ashby, who attended the center five years ago for his own professional development. Ashby, a certified Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training instructor, was able to use the ALERRT’s Indirect Delivery program to temporarily secure at least $50,000 in free masks and non-lethal equipment for officers to use for their training.

“It went well,” said Ashby, who joined the TSTC police force in 2007. “We made sure we carried out plenty of run-throughs.”

Officers had classroom and scenario work and learned how the body reacts to active shooter situations and how they differed from hostage and barricade situations and standard building searches.

Methods to use in active shooter situations is already taught in police training academies using guidelines from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

“It’s good for us to refresh,” Ashby said. “It’s muscle memory things. We have to match the intensity because it will never be like the real thing, but you get as close as you can.”

Davis said plans are being developed to offer the active shooter training for local law enforcement agencies as early as this fall.