TSTC Industry Job Fair is going virtual

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College students will meet potential employers virtually on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Due to COVID-19 recommendations covering social distancing, TSTC will host its annual Industry Job Fair virtually this year. More than 100 businesses will have representatives available to meet with TSTC students statewide.

Six West Texas companies are among those scheduled to have representatives available. They are Bruner Motors in Stephenville, Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder, Eastland Memorial Hospital, Hendrick Health System in Abilene, Ludlum Measurements in Sweetwater and Mesa Springs Mental Health in Abilene.

Students will have access to a variety of companies, including health care, construction, engineering firms, public entities and utility companies.

With the job fair going virtual, West Texas students will have more opportunities to meet prospective employers, said Julia Humphrey, director of TSTC Career Services.

“One of our disadvantages in West Texas is we are so spread out. Being able to do our job fair virtually will eliminate that distance,” she said. 

In addition to Texas, companies from California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon will be available to speak with students.

Humphrey said current students are training on how to access the fair through their computers, as well as updating resumes. Career services representatives are also helping students with interview skills.

“We are getting the students ready to enter the workforce,” Humphrey said. “The companies are excited to be part of this virtual experience, and so are the students.”

This is the first time TSTC has held the event virtually. In the past, company officials set up booths in the Student Center on the Sweetwater campus. Humphrey said with the virtual event, students may visit with potential employers anytime during the fair.

“We want them to be successful with the process of talking to potential employers,” she said.

Students will have access to the fair through their hireTSTC accounts.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC alumna enjoys career as dental hygienist

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College alumna Maxene Prado completed the Dental Hygiene program in 2017. Now she is enjoying the perks of her career as a dental hygienist and credits the support system she had at TSTC for helping her succeed.

Why did you decide on a career in this field?

A representative from the Dental Hygiene program spoke to our (high school) class one day about career options, and I was intrigued. After more research, I decided dental hygiene was what I wanted to do.

How would you say that the Dental Hygiene program at TSTC prepared you for your career?

Completing the program is one of my greatest academic achievements, and it shaped me into the dental hygienist that I am today. The program was rigorous and prepared me to be a well-rounded clinician. This is largely attributed to my amazing instructors at TSTC who guided me and provided me with the knowledge and support that I needed to succeed along the way.

What do you enjoy most about your career?

It’s nice getting to wear comfy scrubs to work every day. Jokes aside, I enjoy the flexibility and job security that it provides me. I can choose to have a set schedule at one office or float through different offices. I live in Austin, and many areas have a large demand for dental hygienists.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start the program?

I cannot emphasize the importance of teamwork throughout the program enough. Collaboration and teamwork with my classmates were a large part of learning and succeeding. Be prepared to work hard and keep focused.

Dental hygienist careers are expected to continue to grow faster than average until 2029.

To learn more about TSTC’s Dental Hygiene program, visit https://www.tstc.edu/programs/DentalHygiene.

 

TSTC celebrates employees with drive-thru ceremony

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Honks and cheers were heard during a drive-thru ceremony at Texas State Technical College recently in celebration of the Employee Service Awards, which recognize TSTC employees for their years of service.

Employees were given a commemorative plaque and yard sign to thank them for their dedication to TSTC. Celebrated years ranged from five to 35, and 50 employees qualified for recognition.

TSTC Human Resources business partner Julie Gonzalez said that it is essential that employees know they are appreciated for their hard work.

“It is so important to celebrate every milestone we reach in our careers, especially at TSTC,” she said.

During the event, which followed TSTC’s strict coronavirus safety guidelines, employees were required to stay in their vehicles, and all accolades were given without physical contact.

Gonzalez said that those who have dedicated their time to TSTC play an important role in the ultimate purpose of the college: to help students succeed.

“Our employees with many years of service believe in the mission of TSTC,” she said. “It means that they are truly invested.”

Gonzalez, who is a recipient of an award for 15 years of service, thanked her colleagues for making the environment so special.

“Thank you for all you do to make TSTC a great place to work,” she said. “One thing that my co-worker, Melissa Aleman, and I talk about often is how TSTC and the employees we work with on the Harlingen campus are not just co-workers, they are family.”

Provost Cledia Hernandez reiterated that TSTC staff and faculty are pieces of the puzzle that help keep the campus running.

“Our employees are the essence of TSTC,” she said. “They are the driving force of accomplishing why we do what we do. We cannot do what we do without them.”

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

 

TSTC to host virtual job fair for its students and alumni

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College is committed to helping its graduates find jobs in their respective fields. Next week, TSTC students will be given the opportunity to find their new careers during the college’s Virtual Job Fair.

The event, which is online due to TSTC’s coronavirus protocols, will take place on Oct. 29 and is open to TSTC students and alumni.

TSTC’s director of Planning and Special Events, Hannah Luce, said that despite not having a physical location, the job fair will work much as it traditionally would have.

“Those attending will still be able to visit with attending employers and network just as if it were an in-person event,” she said. “One of the differences is the format.  The job fair starts at 11 a.m., and each employer will be in their virtual booth every hour for 45 minutes.”

Luce said that because of this, students will have to be selective about which prospective employers they decide to visit. She also suggested that students be prepared with interview-related materials and dress appropriately, just as they would if the event were in person.

“Students should have a resume prepared before the job fair and make sure to dress to impress,” she said. “There will be video capability at the Virtual Job Fair, so students and alumni should make sure they look professional.”

TSTC’s director of Talent Management, Viviana Espinosa, said that students should also make sure they test their login information prior to the job fair.

“Students and alumni should make sure they can log in to hireTSTC,” she said. “They should make sure their profile is up to date, upload their resume, and register for employer sessions they are interested in.”

Ultimately the Virtual Job Fair aims to continue TSTC’s mission of helping students and alumni find well-paying jobs.

“Our purpose is to help our students and alumni find great-paying jobs in their chosen field,” Luce said. “It is very important that we continue to have a way to connect them to companies that are hiring in their fields.”

Espinosa added that despite the job fair being online, the dedication to making sure that students get hired is still the same.

“It is of utmost importance that we host the Virtual Job Fair and give our students the opportunity to connect with employers,” she said. “This is our first one, and we have over 100 employers from all over the state registered to participate. We are excited that our students will have the opportunity to access a wider network of employers.”

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

 

 

TSTC Welding Students Create Sign for Former High School Teacher

(WACO, Texas) – Daniel Gormley and Travis Kight have known each other since they were in middle school in Boerne. Now they are in their fourth semester as Texas State Technical College students studying Welding Technology.

The students are completing a special project that is sure to make Dorman Vick, their former welding instructor at Samuel V. Champion  High School in Boerne, happy.

“He (Vick) texted me and asked for the (TSTC Welding Technology) instructor’s phone number,” Gormley said. “He wanted a sign to hang in the shop.”

Vick, who came from the welding industry to pursue teaching, said several of his students in the last 16 years have studied at TSTC’s Waco campus. He said he is impressed with TSTC’s advanced pipe welding class and the instructors.

“I rank you all (TSTC) the best after-high school welding program in the state,” Vick said. “I rank you all high in the nation.”

Gormley and Kight designed, produced, polished and painted a special rectangle-shaped sign bearing the TSTC logo and an image of a welder. The students created the sign as a project in the Welding Automation class taught by Richard Vargas. The students used Lincoln Electric’s Torchmate software to create the design.

“The students are excited to learn on the computer numerical controlled plasma table,” said Vargas, a TSTC Welding Technology instructor. “They like to get really creative on their projects.”

The students said they have enjoyed expanding their knowledge beyond the metal inert gas welding and shielded metal arc welding they learned in high school. The students said they have learned about tungsten inert gas welding and robotics at TSTC.

Gormley said TSTC’s Waco campus was the only college he visited before enrolling, but Kight initially planned to pursue firefighting.

“I came to look at TSTC with Daniel,” Kight said. “I did welding in high school, and I grew to really like it.”

After graduating in December, the students said they are interested in pursuing pipeline work.

“Find out what you are good at,” Gormley said. “Don’t get stuck with something you will hate.”

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu. 

TSTC student knows options will be open following graduation

(ABILENE, Texas) – Mandy Jenkins, a mother of five, knows that her options will be open when she completes the Computer Networking and Systems Administration program at Texas State Technical College next year.

“There is so much you learn in the program,” she said. “I know that I will have a lot of options. But until then, I want to learn as much as I can.”

Jenkins, of Merkel, is pursuing an associate degree and said it took her some time to begin college. After earning a GED, Jenkins looked at the TSTC program but waited until her 40s to get started.

“I decided I wanted to learn something that I did not know anything about,” she said. “I had previously worked in the medical field but decided I wanted to do this.”

Jenkins said that led her to TSTC’s Abilene campus. With the program being available online, she said it has helped her juggle classwork and home life.

“Being at home, there was a lot less stress. It seemed things were going easier for me,” she said. “I did have that first-semester stress like a lot of people, but everyone was there to help me.”

That included her fiance, Cary, and children.

“They have been supporting me throughout school. I could not have asked for anything else from them,” she said.

One of her biggest worries prior to starting the program was her lack of computer networking experience.

“When I started classes, I assumed that my classmates would have known a lot about computers. Once we got started talking, I realized they were like me and did not have that much experience,” she said. “I felt better knowing we were all in the same situation.”

Throughout the program, Jenkins said she has learned things that many people take for granted.

“When we were learning how to design a webpage, I had no idea all of the details that went into it,” she said. “What I have been learning is really cool. I never thought I would be the one behind the screen doing these kinds of things.”

 For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Medical student increases knowledge in TSTC’s EMS program

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Before she begins medical school, Mackenzie Brigman decided to spend part of her gap year attending Texas State Technical College.

Brigman, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, said she wanted to gain paramedic experience and enrolled in the Emergency Medical Services program.

“I have always had an interest in the medical field,” she said. “I wanted to spend part of my gap year between college and medical school getting additional experience.”

Brigman learned about the program through her family in West Texas. She said walking into the TSTC lab was “kind of a shell shock.”

“I was excited with what I saw and that everything is hands-on,” she said. “We did not have an ambulance simulator at my college, and I can’t wait to start training on it.”

Brigman said TSTC offers a “great learning environment” for students.

“This is going to help expand my passion for the field I am planning on entering,” she said. “I think coming here will give me a leg up during my first year of medical school.”

Brigman said her passion for the medical field came early in life. After facing medical complications as an infant, she wanted to learn more about it.

In middle school, her interest grew even more when she was able to tour hospitals and other medical facilities.

“It really piqued my interest then. I knew that I wanted to be an OB-GYN,” she said.

Brigman said taking courses this fall will help her “medical confidence.” She added that she has her instructors to thank for building that confidence.

“(Richard) Sharp has really taken us under his wing,” she said. “He invests a lot into making sure we are able to learn. (Timothy) Scalley is also very knowledgeable, and he is a flight paramedic. That adds to his knowledge.”

TSTC is currently accepting applications for the next group of emergency medical technicians and paramedic students, with classes scheduled to begin in the spring. The program is offered both online and with in-person lab sessions. Sharp said students will have opportunities for live discussions and lectures online each week.

Sharp said students interested in the program may contact him at 325-203-2458 to learn about the enrollment process.

For more information, visit https://www.tstc.edu/programs/EmergencyMedicalServices.

TSTC Ready to Meet Aviation Job Needs in Williamson County

(HUTTO, Texas) – The Texas aviation and aerospace industry is responsible for creating more than 778,000 jobs and a payroll of more than $30 billion, according to the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2018 Texas Aviation Economic Impact Study. 

“Aviation is a huge, growing field,” said Michael Smith, senior field development officer for The TSTC Foundation at Texas State Technical College’s Williamson County campus. “Aviation is a prime opportunity because you have an aging workforce.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a need for more than 23,000 avionics technicians and more than 143,000 aviation mechanics and service technicians by 2029.

“We have two generations of workers that never went into those fields,” Smith said.

Williamson County residents interested in aerospace and aviation careers can learn needed skills in the Industrial Systems, Precision Machining Technology and Welding Technology programs at TSTC’s campus in Hutto. 

Robert Capps, TSTC’s statewide lead for the Aviation Maintenance department, said the COVID-19 pandemic has not decreased students’ desire to study in TSTC’s Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology programs in Abilene, Harlingen and Waco. 

“We pull in quite a few students from the Williamson County area,” Capps said. “There is certainly plenty of interest.”

Capps said due to the popularity of TSTC’s aviation maintenance programs, spring student intakes are being considered for the first time at the Abilene and Harlingen campuses. Spring intakes will continue at the Waco campus.

Capps said he advises students visiting the aviation maintenance programs to be willing to move where their first job is.

“Unlike automotive, where you have mom-and-pop shops spring up all over the place, there are very few mom-and-pop shops popping up for aviation maintenance,” he said. “Most of the work is done in hubs.”

The Georgetown Municipal Airport can be considered Williamson County’s aviation hub, as more than 20 aviation-related businesses are clustered there. The airport has two runways, the longest being 5,004 feet in length. The airport’s economic impact is more than 500 jobs with a payroll that exceeds $14 million, according to TxDOT’s 2018 aviation impact study. 

Joseph Carney, the airport’s manager, said encouraging students to pursue aerospace and aviation careers should start in high school. He cited the Georgetown Independent School District’s Tango Flight program as a way to give students hands-on experience by building small airplanes to sell.

“This exposes the students to colleges with aviation programs,” Carney said. “They are not going into college completely blind.” 

One of Cedar Park’s largest employers, Firefly Aerospace, has more than 150 employees, according to the Cedar Park Economic Development Corp. The company specializes in designing, manufacturing and operating reliable launch vehicles. It has hired TSTC alumni for jobs in machining, manufacturing, engineering and technology integration.

Ben White, president and chief executive officer of the Cedar Park EDC, said Firefly Aerospace’s presence in the city and county signals a change in the economy.

“I think it has demonstrated Cedar Park can be home to high-tech and forward-thinking companies,” he said. “It is a startup company working with NASA to deliver payloads to the moon. There are many cities and companies in Texas that are working on that. That kind of demonstrates the progression of the workforce in Williamson County. It is becoming more of a high-tech workforce.”

There have been 31 openings for avionics technicians advertised through Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area in the last 12 months. Several of the openings have been at Firefly Aerospace.

White predicts Cedar Park will be the next employment hub for the Austin area.

“You will see a lot of technical jobs, high-tech jobs, Firefly-like corporations, but you will also see regional headquarters and office support for corporations coming here,” he said.

TSTC also offers Aircraft Pilot Training Technology and Avionics Technology in Waco.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

TSTC Receives Greater Texas Foundation Grant

(WACO, Texas) – The Greater Texas Foundation has awarded a $715,742 grant to help develop Texas State Technical College’s performance-based education initiative. The grant was awarded through The TSTC Foundation. 

Performance-based education allows students to have flexibility with their schedules as they master set competencies in their programs. Faculty members guide the students as they take courses. 

“Performance-based education pathways allow students to build on their existing knowledge and complete credentials without putting the rest of their lives on hold,” said Sue McMillin, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Texas Foundation. “We are proud to support TSTC in developing these pathways to extend postsecondary opportunities to more Texas students.”

The money will be used to hire three instructional designers to reshape nine of TSTC’s programs in the next three years. Performance-based education is scheduled to debut in fall 2021 in the Computer Networking and Systems Administration, Cybersecurity, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology programs.

“It is great for the institution,” said Kyle Smith, TSTC’s deputy chief academic officer. “I would say with this particular grant, it is going to be transformative for our students. If you look at the key drivers of the grant, it is all very student-centered. It increases the accessibility to college, the ability to accelerate, with programs being available from morning to evening.”

Instructional designers deconstruct curricula down to knowledge, skills and abilities that provide the foundation for competencies and master assessments, said Gena Jean, TSTC’s performance-based education program manager. Instructional designers will work with faculty to develop engaging curricula.

Performance-based education could allow some TSTC students to graduate early after showing they have mastered competencies to their instructors. Students will still have semesters, but the number of classes will vary.

“The whole intent of the vision is to put more Texans in great-paying jobs by allowing them (the students) more accessibility and flexibility in scheduling and the ability to accelerate through the courses they will be in,” said Lance Eastman, TSTC’s senior vice president of student learning and interim provost of the West Texas campuses.

The Greater Texas Foundation supports initiatives that increase rates of postsecondary enrollment and completion for all Texas students, with a particular focus on students who may encounter barriers to postsecondary success, according to the organization’s website. 

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu. 

TSTC observes Drug and Alcohol Awareness week with online presentations

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College is getting creative with events this semester. Social distancing has brought about a new way for students and staff to get together, and utilizing technology to get students involved in events that would normally happen on campus shows no signs of slowing down.

This month TSTC will recognize Collegiate Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week virtually. Current students and staff will be invited via a link that will guide them to an online hangout where different topics will be discussed. TSTC counselor Angela Dunn talked about the importance of the events, as well as what she hopes students will gain from attending.

“Collegiate Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week is an educational week held in institutions of higher education nationwide,” she said. “Alcohol and drug safety should be a priority throughout the year for colleges and universities, but this week is a helpful reminder to follow best practices and to bring attention to issues posed by excessive drinking or drug use among college students.”

The week will consist of various digital activities, including participants taking part in making graffiti art, an overview of making “mocktails,” and a Netflix watch party. As with any event, there were a few logistics that needed to be figured out to make sure that things run smoothly.

“All event planning comes with its own challenges,” she said. “Engaging students to attend the event is the hardest part of hosting virtual events. Other challenges are technical issues or participants not having supplies if it’s an activity.”

The activities planned for the week involve using household items, which Dunn said will allow for more students and staff to participate.

“We utilize generic items around the house that most people will have,” she said. “In order to avoid technical issues, we practice ahead of time to try to minimize any errors that might occur.”

Ultimately, virtual events such as this are to benefit students.

“Our hope is to open a line of communication within the college community,” she said. “We want to educate students on how to recognize the signs and behaviors of someone who might have issues with alcohol or drug abuse and teach students how to deal with stress in a healthier way.”

TSTC’s Collegiate Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week begins on Monday, Oct. 19.

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.