(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College and SkillsUSA Texas hosted U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, for a tour on Friday, Feb. 23.
The visit coincided with TSTC’s hosting of the SkillsUSA Texas secondary District 6 Leadership and Skills Conference taking place from Thursday, Feb. 22, to Saturday, Feb. 24.
“The development of the Texas workforce starts with our younger generations, which are the middle and high school students,” said Renee Blackshear, a TSTC SkillsUSA co-manager. “TSTC is an active partner with SkillsUSA on the secondary and college levels. Having the opportunity to witness and share in the development of our state’s workforce helps TSTC fulfill our mission.”
Sessions visited competitions in automotive technology, construction, culinary arts and welding. It was the first time that Sessions had visited a SkillsUSA event.
“We have an obligation to match the wishes and dreams of our young people to pursue a career,” he said.
Sessions met competitors from Duncanville and Waco when he visited the on-campus Kultgen Automotive Center. He talked to the students about understanding what their skills and talents are.
“Don’t be afraid to tell everybody,” Sessions said.
Sessions also learned about some of TSTC’s technical programs. He found out while visiting the Welding Technology program how welding can help students get into the workforce and develop a work ethic.
“TSTC is not only impressive with its infrastructure and cutting-edge equipment, but it has a lot of instructors and staff that are excited about the students they educate,” Sessions said.
SkillsUSA Texas has about 15,000 high school students participating in 13 district contests this year, said Crystal Latham-Alford, executive director of SkillsUSA Texas. District gold medalists move on to SkillsUSA Texas’ state competition in early April in Corpus Christi.
For more information on SkillsUSA Texas, go to skillsusatx.org.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
