Category Archives: All TSTC

TSTC Partners With Crosby Group for Workforce Training

(MARSHALL) – Texas State Technical College in Marshall recently received a $192,179 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The grant will pay for training more than 260 employees at The Crosby Group in Longview.

Twenty-nine tool and die employees will upgrade their skills at TSTC taking Advanced Gas Tungsten Welding, Basic Machining, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, Computer Numerical Controlled Machining and Math and Measurement for Machining.

More than 230 workers will take the 12-hour safety course Manufacturing Process and Safety taught by company staff at the Fisher Road facility in Longview.

The company specializing in material handling applications, lifting and rigging products announced in April a $45 million expansion and relocation to Longview Business Park. The company is based in Tulsa, Okla. and also has locations in Canada, Europe and China.

“I think the stance is TSTC is training a reliable workforce,” said Mike Heidger, human resources manager at the Longview facility. “It’s tough to find good talent today. TSTC is a big benefit for the region especially with employers needing desperately today a trained workforce.”

Bryan Maertins, director of workforce training and continuing education at TSTC in Marshall, could not be happier about the grant’s awarding.

“One of the things we are receiving is equipment,” Maertins said. More than $14,000 of the grant will be used for new welding machines and machining equipment to support the Crosby workers and for future Marshall welding and machining students to use for hands-on training.

The grant funding period is from Aug. 31, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2016. Since the mid-1990s, the Skills Development Fund has helped more than 4,000 Texas employers and more than 215,000 workers learn new work skills, according to the state workforce commission. The grant program has also helped create more than 101,000 new jobs.

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TSTC to Hold Second Annual Reach for Recovery Car & Bike Show

(ABILENE) – Texas State Technical College will hold its second annual “Reach for Recovery” Car & Bike Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 at the campus in Abilene. There will be a $20 fee per vehicle per class to enter the show. Classes include antique, import, rat rod, motorcycle and more. Admission is free. Funds raised will benefit Guardians of the Children, and TSTC’s Reach Club and Student Leadership. For more information, visit facebook.com/wheelsforrecovery.

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TSTC Hosts Czech Government, Cultural Delegation

(WACO) – An eight-member delegation from the Czech Republic toured the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center at Texas State Technical College in Waco on Thursday, Sept. 3.

The group received a glimpse of the five academic programs offered at the center: Air Traffic Controller, Aircraft Airframe Technician, Aircraft Dispatch Technology, Aircraft Pilot Training Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology.

Carson Pearce, Aerospace Division director, showed the group the air traffic control lab which has a simulator students can use to work in conditions such as fog, rain and darkness to gain hands-on experience directing incoming and outgoing flights.

“Our students are taught by the finest instructors in America who have more than 30 years of experience with the Federal Aviation Administration in air traffic control,” Pearce said.

The Czech visitors watched a student use a Redbird flight simulator to “land” in Prague.

Pearce said aviation maintenance students undertake the equivalent of four years of work in two years and called their work some of the most intense on campus. He said students keep track of 1,900 hours of training for the Federal Aviation Administration’s rating as mechanics.

“Most of our graduates have jobs waiting for them before they graduate,” Pearce said.

Pearce also showed the group the college’s collection of original aviation oil artwork located in the first floor boardroom. The artwork symbolizes something no other higher education institution has in the United States: The legacy and heritage of a military airfield. The land the college is on was once used for flight training and as James T. Connally Air Force Base which was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

One of the TSTC staff members leading the delegation was Stevie Vanek, a housing maintenance foreman and mayor-pro tem for the city of West.

“Any time you can exchange cultural visits, it’s a great thing,” he said.

Pearce gave the Czech visitors specially minted coins depicting the aerospace center.

Ivana Majickova, mayor of Kunovice, Czech Republic, said she felt inspired by the opportunities she saw students have.

“This school is a very beautiful school,” said Majickova. “In my city, we also have a school for aviation as well. In our town we don’t have all the programs in one place.”

Also part of the delegation was Jan Mazuch, former cultural attache representing the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C. along with his wife, Magda; their sons Honza and Stephen and Alexandra Janku, all of Brno. Majickova’s husband, Petr, and Vicar General Josef Nuzik of Olomouc also made the trip.

The tour was part of the group’s visit to Texas highlighted by the signing this weekend of an educational, economic and cultural sister city agreement with the city of West which has a large Czech-American population.

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Detail Mold & Design Donates EDM Drill to TSTC

(HUTTO) – Detail Mold & Design LLC donated a Sodick electronic discharge machine drill to the Precision Machining program at TSTC in Williamson County.
Precision Machining Instructor Darren Block said the donation will help students gain experience with a tool and die machine.
“The software is similar to other CNC machines we have, so not only will the gain the experience, but they’ll be able to learn on what industry is using right now,” Block said. “Another plus, is that if they make a mistake in their work, they can salvage it with this machine.”
Detail Mold & Design began in 1990 in Round Rock, and moved to Leander, Texas about two years ago. They specialize in creating molds for the fiber optics industry.  The company learned of TSTC through a connection with a friend from church.
“One of the things that we’re hoping is that through education, we can get more qualified personnel coming out of the school to come into our line of business” said Ray Lensing of Detail Mold. “We’re a machine shop, but we specialize in injection molds. It’s the same principle, but a lot more intricate in its details.”
Lensing says the machine should help prepare the graduates for the field. The value of the machine is approximately $10,000.
“The machine is a very important part of our operations,” Lensing said. “It supports a lot of the operations that have to be done.”

The Precision Machining program is available at the Fort Bend County, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. A similar program, Computer Aided Manufacturing, is available at the Marshall campus. For more information on TSTC and the Precision Machining program, visit www.tstc.edu.

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Logistics Program at TSTC Expects First Graduates in Fall

(RED OAK) – Last fall, TSTC in North Texas debuted its Logistics Technology program, catering to those who want to specialize in the lucrative industry of logistics.

The program, which expects its first graduates in Dec. 2015, covers the logistics industry from start to end.

“It starts with purchasing raw materials,” said Instructor William Scott, “then we cover the transportation of those raw materials to the manufacturing plant, storing inventory, operation of storage facilities and distribution.”

How does TSTC’s Logistics program differ from others in the state?

“We’re the only logistics program that has the hands-on component of a technical school,” Scott said. “The other schools that offer logistics degrees, you can get an associate degree in logistics, but there’s no hands-on training.”

Kay Jones, one of the Logistics students on track to graduate in December, said she originally came to TSTC to do a computer-related program, but decided it didn’t fit. After sitting down and talking to Program Chair Leroy White, she chose logistics instead.

“It is the best decision I ever made,” Jones said. “Logistics is so vast and it’s so cutting-edge right now that I’m sure I’ll be able to get a job. Plus, we have the best professor. I’d put him against anybody in the state. He’s wonderful.”

After graduation, Jones hopes to become a U.S. Customs Broker.

“I graduate on Dec. 11, and on the 14th, I help set up the US Customs Broker course that is going to be taught here at TSTC,” Jones said. “I’m going to start that course and get my Customs Broker License by April, and I want to start a global import/export business.”

Jones hopes to eventually go into humanitarian logistics.

“I want to go into third world countries and help women in poverty. They make these items and sell them, and people take them to other countries and sell them for double. I want to go in there and pay them more to help these women out of poverty.”

Logistics Technology is exclusively offered at TSTC’s North Texas campus. For more information on the program, visit www.tstc.edu, or call 972-617-4040.
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TSTC SkillsUSA Club Holds Football Ticket Fundraiser

(WACO) – TSTC SkillsUSA is holding a giveaway for two Baylor football season tickets. The tickets are for section 227, row 8, seats 10 and 11. It’s $10 to enter the giveaway.
SkillsUSA is an organization that empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens by providing quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development.
In 34 years of competition, TSTC students have picked up a whopping 205 gold, silver and bronze SkillsUSA national wins, more medals than all other 2- and 4-year colleges in Texas combined. A win at SkillsUSA – a nationally recognized benchmark of technical excellence – means job skills and a great résumé.
The drawing will be held at 4 p.m. Sept. 2. Winner need not be present to win. For more information, or to purchase tickets to enter the drawing, contact James Matus at james.matus@tstc.edu or 254-867-2690, or Autumn Outlaw at autumn.outlaw@tstc.edu or 254-867-2248.
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AEP donates training equipment to TSTC

(MARSHALL) – American Electric Power Co. (AEP) donated a 2002 International 4900 Digger truck to Texas State Technical College. The truck, estimated to be worth about $30,000, will be used in the Electrical Utility Construction & Maintenance (Lineman) and Diesel Departments at the Marshall campus.

The lineman and diesel departments will use the truck for training students. “We’ll be able to train students to troubleshoot and diagnose engine, brake, suspension, drivetrain and electrical applications on another live vehicle,” said Diesel Instructor Arlis Elkins.

Students that attended the donation event were excited to get to use the truck. “We’ll be able to learn more things. Instead of just seeing it in a book, we’ll be able to see it in real life before we’re out in the working environment,” said Keith Pistolis, TSTC student.

AEP donated the truck in a brief ceremony at 2 p.m. on the Marshall campus. “From AEP’s perspective, y’all are training our workforce for us, which is very important to us. It’s great to have people, these young guys who are going to replace the boomer generation like me who are not that far from retiring, so it’s very important for us selfishly to have this facility. And secondly, we support economic development throughout our service territory and we know TSTC is a big piece of the engine for economic development in this region,” said Keith Honey, External Affairs Manager at AEP.

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TSTC Chancellor Announces New Leadership for West Texas

(SWEETWATER) – Chancellor Mike Reeser announces the appointment of Eliska Smith, MASCL to serve as provost for the Texas State Technical College campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater, effective August 10.

 Smith began her career in marketing and communications more than 25 years ago, spanning the economic development and consulting, publishing and health care industries, as well as higher education. Smith’s tenure with TSTC began in 2002. Today, she serves as TSTC’s statewide public relations officer and leads strategic communications from the central administrative offices in Waco. Previously, she was TSTC’s associate vice chancellor specializing in communications, public relations, and leadership development. She also was the founding director and sponsoring executive-in-charge of the TSTC Leadership Institute.

“In essence, the job of the provost is to make TSTC a great place to work and to develop our relationships with the communities in which we operate,” said Chancellor Michael L. Reeser. “I have confidence that Eliska’s keen grasp of the organizational mission and her ability to foster relationships will be an asset to our West Texas family,” added Reeser.

“Eliska’s leadership experience and broad background will serve her well as the provost and leader of our West Texas campuses,” said Gail Lawrence, President Emerita, Vice Chancellor & Chief Culture Officer.

“It will be my joy to call the Big Country home,” said Smith. “I look forwarding to helping TSTC strengthen our partnerships with community and industry leaders to strengthen our economies and to help more Texans prosper,” added Smith.

Smith received a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications and Leadership from Seton Hall University, an advanced certificate in mid-management from SMU/Cox School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University.

Smith has served in leadership positions within community and professional associations including: President and past president of the board, Christian Women’s Job Corp of McLennan County; lay director of the Greater Waco Emmaus Community; member, Waco LeadershipPlenty; secretary, board member, and president of the Central Texas Chapter Public Relations Society of America; district IV executive committee member for the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, member of the Leadership Waco Class XX, board member of the Leadership Waco Alumni Association, member of the Rotary Club of Waco, and board member of the Waco Aviation Advisory Board.

Smith is a single mother, with a son, Houston, who is attending Texas Tech University, and a daughter, Caroline, who will be attending Sweetwater High School.

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Donation to lineman program will provide more training opportunities

(WACO) – San Bernard Electric Cooperative, Inc. donated a 1997 International double-bucket truck to Texas State Technical College. The truck estimated to be worth about $35,000 will be used in the Lineman program.

“This will enable us to teach students about bucket work and safety, how to do basic line work out of a bucket and aid in pole-top rescue training,” said Instructor Bobby Mitchell. This truck also gives students the ability to have more training time towards earning their Commercial Driving License (CDL), which is a requirement for employment in the lineman field, he explained.

San Bernard Electric Cooperative, Inc. representatives Mike Boettcher, 1st Class Lineman; James Jouett, Tech Service Supervisor and Don Roberts, Electric System Manager delivered the truck to the Waco campus. The representatives said the company, which recently hired two TSTC students, wanted to give back in a way that would help improve training. Andrew Schmidt and Joesph McCarty are graduating next month and have already been hired by San Bernard Electric Cooperative, Inc. The Co-op’s representatives mingled with students and explained the features of the truck.

 “This is outstanding,” said Schmidt. “I wish more companies would be like this and put money into where they hire their graduates from.”

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TSTC Hires New Director of Instructional Support Services

(BROWNWOOD) — Texas State Technical College in Brownwood welcomed a new Director of Instructional Support Services June 1. Dr. Les Plagens took over the role after leaving Howard Payne University, where he worked for 23 years, serving the past 18 years as dean and professor for the School of Business.

Plagens provided leadership in attaining specialized accreditation with the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education and in developing the MBA programs in Brownwood, El Paso and New Braunfels.

Previously, he served as principal of Brownwood State School from 1991 to 1997 and taught distributive education in the Kerrville ISD and Shallowater ISD career and technology programs from 1977 to 1982.

Plagens earned a Bachelor of Science (1977) and Master of Arts in Teaching (1979) from Angelo State University, and a Doctorate of Education (1986) from Texas A&M University, with a major in post-secondary vocational education administration.

Dr. Plagens and his wife, Camille, have been married 38 years and have three children and two grandchildren.

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