(WACO, Texas) – February’s winter weather experienced in Texas is giving Texas State Technical College’s Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology students plenty to think about.

“There’s a lot of money in plumbing right now,” said Austin native Jack Guerrero, who is scheduled to graduate in December with a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology certificate. “A lot of things broke that I know how to fix now.”

Guerrero not only had a health issue to deal with during the winter weather, but he and his family had to heat water in a fireplace as they endured a loss of electricity and heat in their home for several  days.

Guerrero, who wants to work in Austin after graduation, recommends that people keep their faucets dripping to reduce the chances of freezing water pipes.

Jimmy Maldonado, of Gatesville, is also scheduled to graduate with a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology certificate in December. He said people should think about covering their windows and doors to cut down on cold air seeping in. He also recommends using outside faucet covers to provide wind and freeze protection.

Chris Porter, an instructor in TSTC’s Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology program, said the winter weather should show students how to come up with their own solutions for problems. He said students in the program are learning the proper way to do work, which can benefit them as they advance in their careers.

Porter said he wants the students to pay attention to weather reports and know when to stock their work vans with supplies once they are working after graduation. He said the students need to be prepared for pipe breaks and not always having access to the right equipment. 

Porter said the winter weather did have a positive aspect: It brought attention to the plumbing profession once people realized how valuable the workers are. He said consumers and business owners should be aware of who they hire to do repair work and that social media is not the place to seek plumbing recommendations. Porter said people can go to the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners’ website to search for plumbers’ professional information.

Porter said insurance companies will need invoices from plumbers for completed work.

“If you want good quality work, you will pay a plumber for good quality work,” he said.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected a need for more than 511,000 plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters by 2029. The agency attributes this to maintaining existing plumbing systems, along with the construction of new residences and buildings.

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

(WACO, Texas) – An associate degree from Texas State Technical College has opened many doors for Mark Rockwell.

Rockwell graduated in 2007 with a degree in Advertising Design, now Visual Communication Technology, and since then has overseen designs for a professional athlete, a celebrity chef, and a company featured on “Shark Tank.”

“I was a kid looking for guidance when I was thinking about my future. Now I am living in Boston, where they take their higher education seriously,” Rockwell said. “I have a two-year degree, and TSTC set me up for all the success I have had over the years.”

Rockwell’s journey did not start immediately after high school. He admitted he was not sure what he wanted to do with his life. But a trip to TSTC’s Waco campus with a friend led him to instructor Michael Lewis.

“I peeked into the multimedia building and saw a few classes. I really liked what they were doing, so I decided to enroll,” he said.

Rockwell started with very little design experience but enjoyed Lewis’ teaching style, and they quickly connected.

“Mr. Lewis could identify students who were serious about the class. He would spend more time and attention on them to help foster their development,” Rockwell said. “I was able to form a bond with Mr. Lewis that I still appreciate today.”

Lewis saw potential in Rockwell, calling him one of his most promising graduates.

“I always expected him to achieve a lot of success in our industry because of his passion for design and his high level of skill sets developed while in our program,” Lewis said. “He demonstrated strong leadership skills through the graphic design club student organization. He displayed innovative and creative design skills in his coursework and participation in state and national competitions.”

Rockwell has designed work for former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and Food Network host Guy Fieri.

“People tell me that I graduated from TSTC and designed stuff for Guy Fieri. They say that is really cool,” Rockwell said. “For me, designing things for them was a huge source of pride.”

After working with Edelman’s company, Rockwell was approached by Fieri’s manager.

“I was asked to work with his manager and Guy’s ideas to try to flesh them out. I was able to add what I thought was best for his brand as well,” Rockwell said.

Today Rockwell is helping with efforts to promote the Rocketbook Smart Notebook. The product was featured in a 2017 episode of “Shark Tank” but did not receive an offer.

“I am working to help Rocketbook get to the next step of their growth,” Rockwell said. “I also manage a few other aspects of the company’s creative work.”

Lewis is not surprised at Rockwell’s success.

“It comes as no surprise to me that he would excel professionally,” Lewis said. “Along with that, Mr. Rockwell has been a very hardworking, cooperative and caring person who is able to work with anyone.”

Rockwell said his time at TSTC provided him with a career that has led to work he did not dream of while in high school.

“TSTC prepared me for each project I have worked on. The skills I developed at TSTC gave me the drive to get my clients,” he said.

For more information, visit tstc.edu.

(WACO, Texas) – Kevin Semien knew that the recent weather events experienced in Texas were not something to take chances with.

Semien is executive vice president of facilities and maintenance, as well as interim airport operations manager, at Texas State Technical College. 

During the weather crisis, he worked with TSTC’s physical plant, custodial and maintenance staff to identify power issues that affected TSTC’s campuses statewide. He was grateful that some staff members could get to their campuses to check on buildings.

Edgar Padilla, TSTC’s provost in Waco, said Semien was a key member of the Waco campus’ incident command team, which met several times daily to ensure the health and safety of all students.

“His calm, thoughtful and expert insight proved to be invaluable not only to the facilities and maintenance considerations, but also the student services, housing, public safety and communication pieces of the event,” Padilla said. “His commitment to TSTC will pay dividends for years to come.”

Semien sees the root of his work as having a desire to solve problems. He likes to get an idea of what is happening on each campus.

“You can’t know every single thing, but you can keep me in the loop for anything outside the norm,” Semien said.

Some of Semien’s goals at TSTC include creating standards to be used in support departments at all of TSTC’s campuses. He wants to encourage employees to be open to new ideas to make work easier. Semien wants to build relationships and foster a teamwork concept that easily allows directors and staff members to make suggestions and have productive discussions.

“He (Semien) has great ideas,” said Arturo Aguilar, TSTC’s custodial supervisor in Waco. “Overall, he is a great leader and also great as a person to work with.”

Terry Pritchett, the TSTC physical plant’s senior executive director in Waco, said Semien brings a high measure of professionalism to his position.

“He is down-to-earth and easy to talk with, whether in a work or personal matter,” Pritchett said. “He is understanding and caring of the TSTC mission and makes his decisions based on our organizational goals. I look forward to many years of service under his leadership.”

Semien said his advice for people interested in the facilities and maintenance field is to be ready to learn and work well with other people.

“The opportunity is there if they jump into it early,” he said.

Semien’s previous work has been in the casino and health care industries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

“All of the experiences have rolled into the opportunity here,” Semien said.

Semien is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont.

During the month of February, TSTC wants to honor the Black students, staff and faculty who make TSTC a special place to learn.

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

(WACO, Texas) – At least 50 students in Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program signed up to work as wire-down guards and drivers for damage evaluators during the state’s recent winter weather event.

The students were on-call contract workers for Irving-based J&S Inspections, a utility contracting firm. Robert Mitchell, lead instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program in Waco, became familiar with the firm’s work while working at Oncor.

Mitchell said he considers this work a paid field trip for students, giving them work experience that will prove valuable as they pursue their careers in the electrical lineworker industry. He said many of the students made at least $3,000 for their work during the winter storm.

Mitchell volunteered to serve as a damage estimator for 13 days, while TSTC Electrical Lineworker Technology student Conner Woodall of Hubbard was his driver. The two worked from the Austin suburbs to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to East Texas. Mitchell said the Lufkin and Nacogdoches areas were heavily impacted.

“It was the tree situation,” Mitchell said. “There were big pine trees hanging over the lines. There were bad ice storms where limbs accumulated a half inch of ice. The limbs fell and broke lines and broke poles on a big scale.”

Woodall said he saw lots of downed power lines and worked with Mitchell to prepare job tickets to get damaged circulators and insulators fixed. He said the weather was the coldest he had ever endured.

“We have to get out and know what to look for,” Woodall said. “If you cannot get to it by truck, you are going to have to walk the line.”

He said it is the first time he has done work like this in the field. He said the money he earned will go toward college costs and to buy more equipment.

“It actually benefited me being able to see a lot and see real life,” Woodall said. “I saw what the crew would have to do to come out and do the work.”

Mitchell said TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program is called on to provide assistance during major weather events one or two times a year.

TSTC offers the Electrical Lineworker Technology program at the Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses. TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program is a Money-Back Guarantee program. Students who sign up for the program with a TSTC Career Services representative in their first semester of study can take part in focused workshops as they work their way to an associate degree. If students do not get a job in their degree field within six months of graduating, TSTC will refund their tuition.

Texas had more than 10,000 electrical power line installers and repairers in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those workers made an annual mean wage of $58,570.

Nationally, more than 116,000 electrical power line installers and repairers will be needed by 2029, according to the federal agency. This is due to retirements, workers advancing into management positions, new housing and commercial construction, and upkeep of the interstate power grid.

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

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(WACO, Texas) – Automotive Technology students at Texas State Technical College continue to gain insight into what their careers can look like upon graduation.

“It’s a good time in the automotive industry because of how everything is advancing,” said George Williams, lead instructor in TSTC’s Automotive Technology program in Waco.

The program’s students and faculty have relied more on technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since spring 2020, TSTC’s technical programs have been taught either exclusively online or in a hybrid format that combines online lectures with on-campus labs.

TSTC students, faculty and staff continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in wearing masks, not gathering in groups and sanitizing hands and work areas. All of this is being done to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Rudy Cervantez, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Automotive Department, said the program is using a new e-learning and e-simulator learning management system called Electude. He said students are becoming prepared for what they will see in training at dealerships.

“They need to have a good understanding of the material and theory of the given learning activities, expected outcomes, and objectives before attempting the hands-on skills practicals,” Cervantez said.

Jonathan Tooke, of Teague, is pursuing the Automotive Technology – Chrysler Specialization certificate. He said his cell phone comes in handy to take photos in class of brakes, engines and transmissions before he dismantles them. He is getting experience working at a dealership in Fairfield doing oil changes and minor repair work.

Devontae Bible, of Waco, is working toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology and an Automotive Technology – Chrysler Specialization certificate. Bible, a graduate of Waco High School, said he chose to pursue Automotive Technology because of his appreciation for fast cars.

“I heard TSTC was the best of the best,” he said.

Bible is getting internship experience while working at a Waco dealership doing oil changes and working with technicians on minor problems.

“I like the job,” he said. “The environment is cool. It’s good to be around.”

The Automotive Technology program will adapt to another new way of teaching starting in fall 2022. Williams said the program will shift to a performance-based education model. 

Performance-based education allows students to have flexibility with their schedules as they master set competencies. Students can build on existing knowledge and may have the opportunity to graduate earlier than planned. Students will still have semesters, but the number of classes will vary.

“The students will get more one-on-one time with instructors,” Williams said. “The student will schedule lab times with an instructor.”

There were more than 51,000 automotive service mechanics and technicians as of May 2019 in Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The workers made an annual mean wage that was more than $45,000.

Automotive service mechanics and technicians will have to adapt in the next decade to the development of electric vehicles, and cameras and sensors being added to cars and trucks.

February is Career and Technical Education Month. During this month, TSTC is proud to showcase the students, staff and faculty who support its mission of being the “most sophisticated technical institute in the country” every day. To learn more about the programs offered at TSTC, go to tstc.edu/programs.