(WACO) – Area building and construction representatives emphasized Thursday the importance of the work some Texas State Technical College Building Construction Technology students recently completed.
About 30 students were the first in the state to earn certification from the International Code Council (ICC) Training Program using the 2015 International Residential Code. The students took the program’s Building Codes and Inspections course in the spring to work toward the certification. They were honored during a ceremony on campus.
“General contractors and subcontractors are doing a happy dance,” said Bobby Horner, a city of Waco inspection supervisor and 1978 graduate of TSTC in Architectural Drafting and Design Technology. “They are asking where qualified people are.”
There were more than 94,000 construction and building inspectors, with a majority working in municipal governments, as of spring 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas had at least 7,440 construction and building inspectors earning an average median wage of $55,550. The Woodlands-Houston-Sugar Land area and the Dallas-Plano-Irving area had some of the highest concentrations of the workers in the state.
Matthew Peeler, 27, a Building Construction Technology major from Belton, is scheduled to graduate in December. He already has his eye on working in the Austin or Temple areas.
“The certification is necessary to make sure you are following the best practices,” Peeler said. “I love building things with my hands. When you build something, you say ‘I made it.’”
The Building Codes and Inspections course has been in the curriculum for the Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology – Project Management Inspection Specialization, but the spring semester was the first time students took it with revamped lessons backed by the ICC, said Michael Carrillo, a program instructor. Students gained an understanding of mathematics calculations, vocabulary, geography, flooding, topographical effects and other topics.
“You are starting a trend to put Waco on the map that will spread,” Horner told the honorees. “Keep learning – that will make you that much more marketable.”
TSTC will host Registration Rally events for prospective students to register for the fall. The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 23, July 14 and Aug. 11.
For more information on Texas State Technical College and fall registration, go to tstc.edu.
