TSTC, Austin company partner for apprenticeship program

(HUTTO, Texas) – ICU Medical Inc., a company in Austin specializing in pure-play infusion therapy, has partnered with Texas State Technical College in East Williamson County’s Industrial Systems program to offer apprenticeships to selected students.

“It’s really huge for our program,” said Lance Antilley, lead instructor in TSTC’s Industrial Systems program at the East Williamson County campus. “ICU Medical pays very well, and we have had a lot of guys that have come through the program that work there. It is really big for recruiting as well.”

Four TSTC students are currently doing apprenticeships this semester at the company. Antilley said the apprenticeships are a great way for the students to earn money while going to classes.

For Dalton Milligan, ICU Medical’s maintenance manager, it comes down to attracting the right workers to the company.

“It is very difficult with the competition in the area,” he said.

Milligan said the partnership enables selected TSTC Industrial Systems students in their fourth semester to work at the company as apprentices to learn about the company’s operations, along with preventive maintenance and troubleshooting.

“I think for my organization, we can demonstrate the things we do here,” he said. “In manufacturing, you think of wrench turning, but here we have a lot of automation, robotics, programmable logic controllers, and a lot of cool things to design and develop certain components as well.”

Milligan said if the students exhibit good potential, the apprenticeship could lead to full-time employment upon graduation and a quicker period to get acclimated to the company’s work.

TSTC in East Williamson County offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Mechanical Specialization and a certificate of completion in Industrial Systems Mechanic. The program teaches day classes.

Antilley said this is the first semester that every student in the program is working toward an associate degree.

For more information, go to tstc.edu.