(WACO, Texas) – Today’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians need to know more than basic electrical theory and refrigeration principles. As technology evolves, so does the need to be familiar with how smart technology is being used in HVAC systems.

“It’s been around for quite a few years and keeps improving,” said Tim Snyder, an instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology program in Waco.

Some of the technology being seen in the industry includes smart sensors that can communicate with downloaded phone apps and smart thermostats. He said employers can provide training either through outsourcing or equipment manufacturers.

Snyder said the HVAC Technology program receives input from its state advisory board made up of industry personnel who give advice on how to adapt the curriculum to what is occurring in the workplace.

Rox Eskew, human resources manager at P&E Mechanical Contractors in Waco, said today’s students should adapt well to the use of technology because they have grown up with it. She said the company has had success hiring students from TSTC’s HVAC Technology program.

“It is all phone app-related,” Eskew said. “It does all our billing and allows them to see everything, including the history of the call they are on and the products that have been used in the past. Being able to adapt to that is very important.”

The number of jobs for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers is projected to increase to 414,200 workers through 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It credits the increase in workers to growth in modernized climate-control systems.

The Waco area had about 360 HVAC technicians in May 2018, according to the labor bureau.

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

(WACO, Texas) – Brandon Hazlett of College Station grew up with a fascination for technology.

“I did all the computer classes in high school,” the A&M Consolidated High School graduate said. “And, my father works in information technology.”

Hazlett’s mother encouraged him to pursue Cybersecurity at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. He learned the courses so well that he became a peer tutor for TSTC’s Student Success Center in spring 2019. He also helps students taking courses in the Computer Networking and Systems Administration program.

“It’s a good way to make friends,” he said. “I get to figure out how it (course material) can stick with them.”

The Student Success Center in the campus’ Learning Resource Center offers free tutoring services to students. The center also has the Helping a TSTC Student Succeed (HATSS) program, which gives attention to students who need more specialized academic help.

Kassie Harrington, the center’s coordinator, said TSTC students can currently receive tutoring in Avionics, Computer Programming, Cybersecurity, Architectural and Civil Drafting Technology, Electrical Power and Controls, Instrumentation Technology and Visual Communication courses. Harrington said tutors can also work with students on academic math.

Hazlett said more students should visit the Student Success Center, not just at midterms and before finals.

“I think people need to realize that asking for help does not mean defeat,” he said.

When he is not tutoring or in class, Hazlett is doing an internship at Sentinel Cyber Intelligence in Waco. He is scheduled to graduate in the spring with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity, then stay for the summer to earn a Digital Forensics Specialist Advanced Technical Certificate. His goal is to work in the Austin area.

Students who want to be peer tutors need to meet grade-point average and semester-credit-hour requirements. They also have to be in good academic standing. The students can work a maximum of 19 hours a week.

“Students relate to other students,” Harrington said.

Harrington said she wants to see every TSTC program have at least one peer tutor to assist students.

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

(WACO, Texas) – Javier Arroyo, the die casting process manager at Anderton Castings in Troy, is proud to show off the future to visitors.

This fall, the company will finish installing new equipment to increase production of aluminum high-pressure die castings for the automotive industry. The expansion aligns with the company’s mission to embrace lean manufacturing and become more environmentally conscious.

“It’s an impressive operation they have got,” said Adam Barber, TSTC’s interim executive director of Workforce Training in Waco. “I think their long-term goal is to move to a fully automated process, which is good for them and good for us.”

Barber said companies like Anderton Castings have inquired about training from TSTC for blueprint reading, computer numerical controls, hydraulics, programmable logic controls and robotics. He said requests like these mean companies are moving more to automation and want to empower employees with more technical skills.

The company has looked to TSTC in the past for employees and has hosted student interns. In 2019, the company engaged TSTC for an eight-session training program for maintenance and programming of robots. This year, the company plans to extend its training program with TSTC and support from the state of Texas to retrain more than 130 employees to prepare them with new technologies in manufacturing, hydraulics, electrical troubleshooting and CNC operations. 

“If we can hire people that are now in school, they can apply their knowledge,” said Carlos Cervera, the company’s operations engineering manager.

Cervera said employees receive training from the company and from the manufacturers of the equipment used, such as FANUC for its robots. He said students who want to pursue robotics should have a good understanding of geometry and trigonometry.

TSTC’s Robotics Technology program in Waco uses FANUC robots for students to train on.

“What we teach is exactly the type of work they do,” said Brandon McMahan, an instructor in the Robotics Technology program.

Arroyo said it is challenging to find potential employees who know tungsten inert gas welding, die casting and operation of computer numerical controlled machines. He said it is important to grow the skills of the employees they have.

“We want to create a career for them,” Arroyo said.

Jeff Straub, Troy’s city administrator, said workforce training is vital for residents. He sees the city of about 2,200 residents growing in the next few years with the addition of two subdivisions totaling more than 700 homes. And, he hopes more industrial growth happens around Anderton Castings.

“People with more skills tend to have more money,” Straub said. “They can buy a house and be more involved in the community.”

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

(WACO, Texas) – The technical well-being of patients at Navarro Regional Hospital is in Travis Recksiek’s hands.

Recksiek, a biomedical technician, is responsible for about 1,500 pieces of medical equipment at the hospital and four clinics in Corsicana. He usually starts his workday at 6 a.m., almost an hour ahead of when operating room doctors and nurses begin their work. He can be finished with his day by 2:30 p.m. unless there are repair emergencies.

Recksiek grew up in Waxahachie and learned about biomedical equipment technology from his stepmother, who worked at an area hospital. He graduated in 2010 from Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology.

Mark Plough, TSTC’s statewide department chair for Biomedical and Medical Imaging Technology, foresees an increasing need for qualified technicians in Corsicana’s health care industry. 

“Corsicana is a growing area. And as the hospital expands, so will the opportunities for health care technology management technicians,” Plough said. “Navarro Regional Hospital will have one of our students interning this semester. They have been very supportive of our program.”

Texas had more than 3,500 medical equipment repairers as of 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs for those technicians are projected to increase nationally to 55,800 by 2028, according to the agency.

But finding enough qualified workers to fill those jobs could be a problem. 

“The health care technology management field is losing experienced technicians as the baby boomers retire,” Plough said. “This is a double-sided sword. The aging population will put more burden on the medical facilities, and there will be fewer people to repair, calibrate and perform preventive maintenance. This is a concern for all of the technical fields.”

Recksiek’s supervisor, Chad Sanders, is also a graduate of TSTC’s Biomedical Equipment Technology program. Sanders is the hospital’s director of plant operations and its safety officer. His job includes ensuring the facility abides by guidelines from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission.

Before Recksiek’s arrival, Sanders was the hospital’s biomedical technician.

“I was ready to move up, but I enjoyed my work as a technician,” Sanders said.

Sanders said biomedical technicians need to have good communication skills, learn hospital protocol, know about privacy concerns, be good at scheduling, and have familiarity with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines.

“Working in the nonclinical side of health care has its perks,” Sanders said. “We have more time to get the job done.”

Sanders, who grew up in Hillsboro, previously worked in manufacturing before attending TSTC and also did a program internship before pursuing the health care field.

“The internship is vital for any medical equipment repair program,” Plough said. “The internship allows the students to put into practice the knowledge they have gained through their formal education. The real-time experience helps the students connect the dots between theory and reality.”

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