(WACO, Texas) – As the old saying goes, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” 

That can also include solar farms.

Invenergy, a worldwide private sustainable energy company, plans to build what it claims will be the largest solar farm in the United States. The 1,310-megawatt Samson Solar Energy Center facility will be located in Northeast Texas and be fully operational in 2023. The facility is projected to produce energy for 300,000 homes, according to company information.

“Right now, solar is booming,” said Hugh Whitted, chair of Texas State Technical College’s Solar Energy and Electrical Construction department. “It has rebounded from the tariffs that were put into place a few years back. We have a lot of systems going in and the people that need the work done.”

The Samson Solar Energy Center project is expected to generate 600 construction jobs and 12 permanent jobs upon completion, according to information from Invenergy.

Texas’ solar industry employs more than 13,000 workers, according to the Texas Solar Power Association.

Jobs for solar photovoltaic installers is projected to grow to more than 18,000 up to 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The growth is attributed to an increased demand for usage and upkeep, and state and local governments offering incentives.

“I am getting emails usually at least a couple of times a month from solar and electrical contractors all over the place, most of them in and around the Metroplex or Austin to San Antonio,” said Whitted, who is based at TSTC’s Waco campus.

Holtek Fireplace and Solar in Waco began doing local solar work in 1999, said Holt Kelly, the company’s owner. The company does designs and sales, while an electrical contractor performs installations.

“Here in this market, it is spotty,” Kelly said. “We are a small company. I am picking and choosing.”

Kelly said businesses in the Waco area are not yet quite in tune with installing solar panels. But, he said homeowners have been using solar panels for years.

“Solar farms are great, but in my opinion solar is best used most efficiently at the point of use of power, the buildings where the energy is being used,” Kelly said.

Training for solar work means going into a career in the electrical field. TSTC’s students can pursue a “Triple Crown” consisting of an Energy Efficiency Specialist certificate, an Electrical Construction certificate and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Solar Energy Technology.

“It (solar) is not an industry that is going to shrink, realistically,” Whitted said. “People are not going to stop putting in solar unless there is something better out there.”

Whitted said skills in basic mathematics and communication are needed for the solar field. It also helps not to be afraid of heights.

Kelly said people interested in the solar field should strive to become an electrical apprentice and journeyman.

“If you want to do that, you are in the construction business because that is a big part of installing the arrays,” he said. “If you do not want to be the boots on the roof, then learn how to design these things and learn as much engineering as you can.”

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

(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Biomedical Equipment Technology instructor Garrett Seeley recently made two presentations at a nationwide conference for biomedical and health technology managers.

Seeley gave talks on managing cyberattacks and an introduction to digital imaging and communications in medicine at the MD Expo in Tampa, Florida. He said the topics have relevance now because of recent security threats affecting medical facilities in Abilene and Houston.

“Adaptability is what is going to make a biomed succeed,” Seeley said. “We are going to have to be innovative.”

Seeley said there are several reasons for cybersecurity attacks, including to create chaos, to make money or to seek revenge.

A challenge in combating cybersecurity breaches is the way medical equipment manufacturers, information technology staff at hospitals, consultants and in-house biomedical equipment technicians communicate. He said biomedical equipment technicians should see hospital staff as business partners.

“It involves honest conversations about things we are doing right and wrong,” Seeley said.

He said rural hospitals have the hardest time with cyber safety. He said sharing resources with other facilities could help with the problem.

Seeley began preparing for the conference in July by doing industry research. 

“We (TSTC) are an education facility,” he said. “Our hands-on work with cybersecurity is theoretical. We do not get to experience it day in and day out.”

Seeley has presented at the conference six of the last seven years. He enjoys attending because of the interaction he has with other professionals.

“With Garrett’s presentations at these conferences, it allows him to gauge the need for the type of courses that we present to our students,” said Mark Plough, TSTC’s statewide lead in the Biomedical Equipment Technology department. “It also lets others in the biomedical education field see what we are presenting and engages them to what is needed to be presented to students to prepare them for entry-level positions in the field.”

Seeley has taught at TSTC since 2008.. He has degrees from McLennan Community College, Thomas Edison State University and Texas A&M University – Central Texas. 

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

(WACO, Texas) – Graduates of Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Systems program in Waco should know that work opportunities are out there when they graduate.

“The program in Waco is designed to provide our students with a wide range of valuable skills, from basic machining to boiler maintenance and even programmable logic controllers, which are the prevalent control systems in industry today,” said Edward Chaney, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Industrial Systems department.

Jobs for electromechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians are projected to rise to 15,100 nationally by 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency predicted job growth will be seen in the control instruments, electromechanical, machinery, motor vehicle parts and navigational manufacturing areas.

Texas had more than 1,900 electromechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians earning an annual mean wage of $56,750 in May 2019, according to the labor statistics bureau.

“People move around, especially when a new company comes in and expands,” said Jose Palacios, manager of business and industry initiatives for the Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board Inc. in Waco. “Several companies in the area have expanded or added shifts to their work schedules.”

Palacios said workers are needed for logistics, particularly to maintain conveyor belts and other related equipment.

Rj Garcia, a sales executive at Placements Unlimited Inc. in Waco, said the company gets many people looking for production-type work in the city. 

“It all depends on what the company is looking for,” Garcia said. “We do have success filling those jobs.”

Anthony Spalding, director of interns and apprentice programs at HOLT CAT in Irving, said it can be challenging to find qualified applicants for industrial systems, welding and other heavy equipment and manufacturing fields. The heavy equipment company has several locations throughout Texas, including Waco.

“To work in this field or any other trades-related field, the individuals need to have an interest or desire to work with their hands and create, from concept to finish, a product they had a part in,” he said. “As far as inspiring interest, it is exposure to the fields and education on career opportunities and compensation.”

Palacios said utilizing the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is a way the workforce board motivates people of all ages to pursue industrial systems jobs and other technical fields.

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

(WACO, Texas) – For Texas State Technical College student Haley Rios of Bryan, auto collision and repair work is a family tradition.

Her grandfather used to own a paint and body shop where several relatives worked. She would go to the shop as a child and watch repair work being done.

“It was nice,” Rios said. “I liked it.”

Rios took automotive classes in high school and learned about brake repair, oil changes, shocks, struts and other vehicle components. When it came time to select a college after high school, Rios chose TSTC’s Waco campus, which her father also attended. 

Rios said she has enjoyed learning about different painting techniques and how vehicles are put together.

“The time spent out here (at TSTC) is actually working,” she said. “I am a hands-on learner.”

Rios will start work at Caliber Collision in Bryan after graduating in December from TSTC. She is a candidate for Associate of Applied Science degrees in Auto Collision and Management Technology – Refinishing Specialization and Auto Collision and Management Technology – Repair Specialization.

Rios’ advice for women interested in pursuing the auto collision and repair industry is simple.

“Go for it, and ignore what everyone says,” she said.

Jannifer Stimmel, an instructor in TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program, said women should pursue the field because it is fulfilling and rewarding.

“Women are very successful in this industry because many women are detail oriented,” she said. “That is a huge asset in our field because in our industry, details play a huge role. Auto collision requires such specifics, whether it be finding the smallest scratch, choosing the correct tint for paint matching, finding hidden damage, identifying flaws in welds — you name it and it applies to some aspect of this industry.”

Stimmel did not have Rios in classes, but did teach Emma Espinoza, who is scheduled to graduate from the program in December.

“She (Emma) was the top performer in her class, along with another female student that was there at the time,” Stimmel said.

Espinoza grew up in Leander and now lives in Liberty Hill. She is a candidate for graduation at TSTC for an Associate of Applied Science degree in Auto Collision and Management Technology – Refinishing Specialization.

Espinoza took automotive tech classes for three years but wanted to do something using her creative side.

“I had no clue about what I wanted to do,” she said.

She was invited to tour TSTC by her boyfriend, Burke Anderson, who is in TSTC’s Automotive Technology – Toyota T-Ten Specialization program. Once she visited the Auto Collision and Management Technology program, she knew what she wanted to do.

“It’s been pretty fun,” Espinoza said. “I stayed quiet at first, but you get used to being around guys.”

Espinoza said she has enjoyed learning about airbrushing and working with vehicle panels.

After graduation, Espinoza wants to work in custom repair in the Austin area.

Jobs for automotive body and related repairers are projected to be at 159,000 in 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers will be needed to fill positions as people retire or transition into other occupations, according to the agency.

In Texas, there were 11,000 automotive body and related repairers earning an annual mean wage of $45,720 in May 2019, according to the labor statistics agency.

Registration continues for the spring semester. For more information on Texas State Technical College, go tstc.edu.

(WACO, Texas) – Samuel Esqueda, of George West, began welding when he took his first agriculture class as a high school sophomore. 

“It stuck with me more than anything else,” he said. “I wanted to turn it into a career.”

Esqueda is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Welding Technology at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. He is scheduled to graduate in 2022.

“It is way above what I was expecting,” he said. “It is fun getting out and welding.”

Esqueda said he has found the online portion of his studies challenging, mainly because he has not done entire classes online before. Earlier this year, TSTC’s Welding Technology program adopted a hybrid teaching format with hands-on labs being done in-person, and lectures and quizzes completed online. This was done due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Esqueda is already planning his career path after graduation.

“I’m looking in fabrication and where they (the employers) need me in one spot,” he said.

Jobs for brazers, cutters, solderers and welders are projected to rise to about 452,500 by 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nationwide job growth is attributed to repairing the nation’s aging infrastructure.

“We have been monitoring online to keep up with what’s going on,” said Carl Wilmeth, co-lead instructor of TSTC’s Welding Technology program. “We know we have new construction in Waco. We are going to attack it and make new contacts.”

Texas had more than 50,700 brazers, cutters, solderers and welders making an annual mean wage of $46,940 as of May 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jose Palacios, manager of business and industry initiatives for the Heart of Texas Workforce Development Board Inc. in Waco, said welders are in steady demand in Central Texas.

Palacios said utilizing the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and partnering with the Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy are ways the workforce board motivates people of all ages to pursue welding and other technical fields.

“We work pretty hard and fill those positions and promote the career pathways,” Palacios said.

Wilmeth and Griffin Smyth, co-lead instructor of TSTC’s Welding Technology program, said its statewide advisory board is being revamped, with new companies invited to have representation. Each of TSTC’s programs has advisory boards consisting of business professionals who give insight into what needs to be taught to students to match what is going on in industry.

Students graduating from TSTC’s Welding Technology program leave with skills in gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, flux-cored arc welding and shielded metal arc welding. Students graduate also versed in welding codes and standards.

Esqueda said high school students and those who want a career change should consider welding.

“If you like hands-on work and are not afraid to get dirty, this is the job you want to do,” he said.

Registration continues for the spring semester, and scholarships are available. For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.