(ABILENE, Texas) – Receiving well-trained electrical technicians is why POWER Engineers looks to hire Texas State Technical College graduates.
Jeff Caraway, a senior project manager for the engineering and environmental consulting firm, recently told TSTC Electrical Power and Controls students about the many opportunities they can have after earning an Associate of Applied Science degree.
“Where do you think you can go when you earn your degree? You can go anywhere,” he said. “You can work in the utility industry, solar farms or wind farms. Or you can do all of that and more by working for Power Engineers.”
The company has employed many TSTC graduates at its sites across Texas.
“The things you learn at TSTC are great basics, and we are going to teach you the rest,” Caraway said.
Scott Porter, the company’s department manager of power testing and energization, said his team does not stop learning.
“Technology is always changing. You have to be a sponge and soak it all in,” he said. “Take it from me, when I started, I was the low man and learned how to read our plans upside down because I was in that position at the table.”
Porter said TSTC graduates who work for the company are able to do many of the things he did when he first started. He lets team leaders know what to expect of a TSTC graduate.
“For us, when we know you are a TSTC graduate, we just say, ‘here you go’ to the lead guy and they get to work,” he said.
Both Caraway and Porter cautioned students about never stopping, from learning to training.
“Give your training 110% because there are a ton of resources out there,” Porter said.
Porter said being human is also acceptable.
“Everyone is going to make mistakes. We just want you to learn from them,” he said.
Current student Sean Spear is working for POWER Engineers through an internship program. He plans to stay with the company when he graduates next month.
“This is a great company. I have learned so much in the time I have been there during my internship,” he said.
When he began working with Power Engineers, he was issued a Human Performance Improvement (HPI) bag with the necessary equipment for the job.
“There is so much in this bag that I did not realize I would need,” Spear said.
Caraway said the HPI bag is provided to all employees so they “can be prepared to work in the substation.”
POWER Engineers specializes in integrated solutions for clients in the power delivery, power generation, food and beverage, government, renewables and storage, campus energy, and oil and gas industries.
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians can make an average salary of $63,260 in Texas, according to onetonline.org. The growth for the number of such positions in the state was projected to be 14% between 2020 and 2030, according to the website.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls in a hybrid format, combining virtual learning with in-person, hands-on lab work. In addition to the Abilene campus, TSTC’s campuses in Fort Bend County, North Texas and Waco offer the program.
Electrical Power and Controls is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee. If participating students do not find a job in their career field within six months after graduation, they will receive a refund of their tuition.
For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
