(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – A familiar face will be helping to educate the next generation of welders at Texas State Technical College in Breckenridge this fall.

Stephen Hope, a Breckenridge native, is ready to serve his community as a welding instructor for the TSTC Welding Technology program.

“This is my way of giving back. I am all about supporting small towns, and my career as a welder took me all over the U.S. I was given the opportunity to learn a skilled trade, and now I hope to pass those opportunities on to others,” Hope said.

Hope graduated from Breckenridge High School in 2006 before attending Tulsa Welding School.  After graduating with a certificate, he worked for various companies such as Pal-Con and Lauren Engineers & Constructors.

“I’ve been all over the place either contract welding or shop welding — or even running my own business. It just shows how diverse the career field is,” he said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas leads the nation in employment of welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. With such high demand, TSTC associate provost Debbie Karl is excited to have such an experienced welder for the program.

“He is a great guy with a great passion and talent for teaching others,” Karl said. “We had students who met him when they toured the facility and said they wanted to come to TSTC because he was going to be their teacher.”

TSTC’s certificate program in Structural Welding, which is offered in Breckenridge and elsewhere throughout the state, takes about 12 months to complete and teaches students shielded metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding and more.

Additionally, an associate of applied science degree in Welding Technology is available at other TSTC locations, including Abilene.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds for the students and to teach here,” Hope said.

Enrollment and registration is now open for the fall semester.

For more information, go to www.tstc.edu.