(FORT BEND) – Texas State Technical College will be opening a new campus in Fort Bend County come Fall 2016, but first, they are looking to fill the approximately 60 job positions that have opened or will be opening in the coming months.

Set to be hired immediately are student recruitment representatives. Followed by the first round of faculty hires in Spring 2016 and the remaining positions should be filled in Summer 2016. There will be 40 faculty and institutional program support jobs available and nearly 15 support staff positions such as human resource personnel, admissions counselor and financial aid representatives.

“We’re looking for enthusiastic, energetic, committed and fun people to work for our campus,” said Randy Wooten, TSTC Vice Chancellor. “We want people who can relate to not only high school students, but also our non-traditional students.”

Wooten said TSTC’s Fort Bend campus already has the support of the community, businesses and industries with them coming together with more than $40 million to bring a campus to their area.

“We get a lot of positive comments and the excitement of our new campus is definitely there,” said Wooten.

The hiring influx comes with the increased number of programs offered at TSTC’s Fort Bend campus. There will be seven programs total with 15 different degree awards offered. Currently, there are three programs offered: HVAC Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology and Precision Machining Technology. The new four programs will include, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Cyber Security, Telecommunications Convergence Technology and Welding Technology.

“There was a need to expand the programs offered. Now that we’re in the process, we need to hit the ground running,” said Mary Castañon, Director of Instructional Administration. “There are going to be a lot of job opportunities for those who want to work for TSTC.”

Wooten also added these additional programs will also result in great careers for students. He said it is TSTC’s role to talk to students about going to college and giving them the opportunity of not only graduating, but graduating into a great job.

“We want to help students decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives,” said Wooten. “The career programs we will offer at Fort Bend County will result in great jobs for them with the ability to have a family and provide for them, grow, own their home – in other words we want to provide good paying jobs for our graduates.”

The new TSTC Fort Bend campus is set to open in Fall 2016. First day of class is August 29. There will be day and evening classes available. TSTC’s goal is to open with 500 students and all new employees will be part of working toward that goal.

“This project is on time and budget and will be a great addition to this area,” said Wooten. “It’s going to be something people can be proud of and will go a long way in helping the economic vitality of Bend County and its surrounding areas.”

For more information or to apply for a position please visit www.tstc.jobs or call Human Resources at 956-364-4042.

For information on programs, please call 287-239-1548.

(Fort Bend County) – Texas State Technical College officials, state Legislators, and community leaders broke ground on the TSTC campus in Fort Bend County Thursday, June 25. The groundbreaking signifies the start of a three-part building plan that will be known as Texas State Technical College in Fort Bend County.

Opening in the fall of 2016, the expansion will allow TSTC to bring residents of this rapidly growing part of the state new opportunities in higher education.

“Although we’ve been in Fort Bend County teaching technical education for 15 years, this feels like a new beginning,” said Randy Wooten, Vice Chancellor and Executive-in-Charge at TSTC in Fort Bend County, “new because the opportunity is great to grow and to significantly contribute to the economic development of Fort Bend County.”

The new facility will allow TSTC to increase their course offerings to include Cyber Security, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Telecommunications Convergence Technology and Welding Technology. TSTC in Fort Bend currently offers Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, Precision Machining Technology.

“Though TSTC has been here for 15 years, we’ve lacked the depth, volume and variety of programs that a dedicated campus can offer for those who want higher education of a non-academic standard,” said Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert. “With this groundbreaking today, we take a major step to being able to offer our youth training and high level workforce skills.”

TSTC unveiled plans for the campus in April, and has since had several generous donations, starting with founder of Sprint Waste Services Joe Swinbank, presenting a check for $250,000. Following, Rosenberg Development Corporation donated $2.5 million, the Development Corporation of Richmond provided $1 million, and Fort Bend County has donated $2.5 million.

“It is humbling to see our community leaders and businesses giving to what we at The TSTC Foundation exist to support, the success of TSTC and ultimately the success of our state,” said Curtis Cleveland, Treasurer of the TSTC Foundation. “[These gifts] will be used to create a technical education campus in Fort Bend County of which we can all be proud… one which will further the economic prosperity of this area for years to come.”

TSTC in Fort Bend County will sit on 80 acres on the north side of Hwy 59 between FM Road 2218 and Hwy. 36 (1.5 miles east of Hwy. 36). Construction of the 110,000 sq. ft. building will commence with plans to open the expansion in Fall 2016. The campus is projected to expand into a sprawling 6 to 8 building campus that will be able to provide support a 5,000-plus student body.

“TSTC will now have its own footprint, filled with technical labs uniquely designed for the Fort Bend County and Greater Houston area workforce needs,” Wooten said, “at a campus that has the potential to serve as many Texans as each of our flagship legacy campuses.”

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(FORT BEND) – House Bill 658 passed the Senate by a unanimous vote on Tuesday, authorizing Texas State Technical College’s small extension program in Fort Bend County to expand to a full campus. With the governor’s signature, the bill will be effective immediately.

The bill was co-authored in the Texas House of Representatives by Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond; Rep. Rick Miller, R-Sugar Land; Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City; Rep. Phil Stephenson, R-Wharton; and Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco. The bill was sponsored in the Texas Senate by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham and will allow TSTC in Fort Bend County to better serve the larger Houston region.

Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas. This growth has created the need for welders, plumbers, HVAC technicians and other trades for which TSTC offers programs.

“The community support has been tremendous,” said TSTC Chancellor, Michael L. Reeser. “Between area businesses, local governments, economic development corporations and foundations, the region has pledged about $40 million. A community investment of this magnitude is unprecedented for TSTC and it means that the campus in Fort Bend County will start at a much larger scale than otherwise would have been possible.”

Reeser continued, “We value the relationships that brought us to the region and look forward to expanding our presence here.”

TSTC is well known in many parts of Texas for its affordable tuition and its impressive track record of teaching job-related skills that qualify graduates for well-paying jobs.

 The TSTC Extension Center in Fort Bend County opened in 2001 as a partnership with Wharton County Junior College. Currently, TSTC offers Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Diesel Equipment Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Machining at the WCJC Fort Bend Technical Center.

Last month, TSTC unveiled plans to build a permanent campus in Fort Bend County following requests from area residents to increase its course offerings in the area. The initial plans call for two buildings totalling approximately 150,000 square feet of space. Ultimately, the campus will have the capacity to support 4,000 to 5,000 students annually.

TSTC will break ground for Building I in June, and plans to open for classes in the fall of 2016. This first building will allow TSTC to increase its offerings to include Industrial Maintenance, Welding, Computer Networking and System Administration, Network Security and Telecommunications Technology.

Offerings will expand further when Building II opens in the fall of  2017. Offerings for this building may include Biomedical Equipment Technology, Instrumentation, Robotics, Electrical Power & Controls and Occupational Safety & Environmental Compliance Technology.

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(TEXAS) – The administration of Texas State Technical College announced the proposed new campus location in Fort Bend County yesterday. The new campus, if approved by the Texas Legislature, will be located on 80 acres on the north side of Hwy 59 between FM 2218 and Hwy 36, 1 1/2 miles east of Hwy 36.

TSTC Vice Chancellor and Chief Execution Officer, Randall E. Wooten, unveiled the plans for the campus at the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council General Membership Breakfast Meeting.  The vision is for the TSTC campus in Fort Bend to include 6-8 buildings with instruction and services to meet the needs of 5,000+ students.

Wooten commented, “Fort Bend County is the sixth fastest growing county in the nation — making this a prime location for expansion.” A recent study by The Perryman Group predicted the rapid economic growth of the region. This growth, combined with workforce replacement needs, will continue to increase the demand for skilled workers.

Jeff Wiley, CEO of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council explained that TSTC is an important part of the puzzle in building Fort Bend County into a world-class county.  “The addition of a larger TSTC footprint to the stable of existing higher education partners and programs is substantial and complimentary to building the best workforce available in the Greater Houston region. Fort Bend already maintains the highest level of educational attainment for people age 25 or older than any other county in the Greater Houston region.  TSTC will surely help to continue this leadership in our community,” Wiley said.

House Bill 658, sponsored by State Representatives John Zerwas, Rick Miller, Ron Reynolds and Phil Stephenson of Fort Bend County, and Representative Charles “Doc” Anderson of McLennan County, passed the Texas House of Representatives on Monday. The bill would authorize TSTC to have a campus in Fort Bend County. If the Texas Senate and the Governor concur with the plan, the college may proceed with construction of the first 110,000 sq. ft. building. Classes could begin at TSTC in Fort Bend County as early as Fall 2016. Senator Lois Kolkhorst is the legislation’s sponsor in the Senate.

The announcement comes after months of negotiations and mounting support from the community. The auditorium was filled with business leaders from Fort Bend County, many of whom have already voiced their commitment to TSTC. Leaders from the City of Rosenberg, the City of Richmond, Fort Bend County, the City of Sugar Land, Sprint Waste Services, The George Foundation, and The Henderson-Wessendorff Foundation have promised their ongoing support to ensure a skilled technical workforce can be readily available to serve the businesses and industries within Fort Bend County and the Greater Houston area.

Joe Swinbank, founder of Sprint Waste Services presented a check for $250,000 to The TSTC Foundation in support of the Fort Bend expansion. “Sprint Waste Services and Sprint Transport have struggled for years to find qualified candidates for the jobs we have created and we started thinking how we could solve it,” said Swinbank. “About 10 years ago with Commissioner James Patterson, we started working with the school districts on how do we create demands for the trades, and we think with this TSTC campus in Fort Bend County we can deliver these skilled trades people to the jobs that are being left unfilled,” added Swinbank.

Roger Adamson, CEO of The George Foundation, and Pat McDonald, CEO of The Henderson-Wessendorff Foundation, in a joint statement said, “The George Foundation and The Henderson-Wessendorff Foundation are excited to partner with the community to bring world-class technical education to Fort Bend County.  We are confident that TSTC’s track record of results, coupled with industry demand for a skilled workforce in our area make this project a transformational investment for Fort Bend and the surrounding region.”

Evalyn Moore, Mayor of the City of Richmond and president of the Development Corporation of Richmond, said, “Education is at the foundation of successful economic development and the new TSTC Fort Bend campus will contribute to the region’s ongoing growth and prosperity.” Mayor Moore added, “The Richmond community, as reflected by the City Commission, Development Corporation of Richmond and our business community, has demonstrated how strongly we believe in TSTC and will do all we can for the new campus to exceed its goals.”

The City of Rosenberg Mayor Vincent M. Morales Jr. said, “The City and the Rosenberg Development Corporation are committed to supporting the effort. We’re confident TSTC will continue to provide for the ever-growing needs of our local workforce and employers, as well as contribute greatly to our local economy, and we’re grateful for the continuing cooperative efforts and generous support of so many important groups in Fort Bend County that worked to make this project possible,” Morales added.

Currently, the college offers career training in Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, and Precision Manufacturing at the Wharton County Junior College Fort Bend Technical Center. Plans are underway to support additional high-tech, high-paying career fields at the new location including Industrial Systems Technology, Computer Networking & Systems Administration, Cyber Security, Telecommunications, and Welding Technology as well as Commercial Truck Driving (as a continuing education offering).

Wiley added, “To think a little over eighteen months ago, there was a real question as to TSTC’s continued long-term presence in Fort Bend County, says a lot about what this community can achieve and how fast it can achieve it when it rallies around a common objective.  We have come a long way in the past eighteen months but not nearly as far as we will go over the next eighteen months.”

“Those with the appropriate technical skills will have abundant opportunities for employment in Fort Bend County and across our state, and they can count on TSTC to provide the technical know-how and skills needed,” said Wooten.

Registration began Monday for new students at TSTC. The last day to register for the summer semester at the WCJC Ft. Bend Technical Center is May 1. Call (281) 239-1548 to learn more about starting your technical career training at TSTC in Fort Bend County.