(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Recent Texas State Technical College Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology graduates Matthew Blanco and Skylar Jensen are taking their passion for restoring electrical power to their new jobs.
Blanco, of San Benito, and Jensen, of Rio Hondo, were hired as electrical lineworker apprentices within the Kiewit Corp., a leading construction and engineering organization that operates through a network of subsidiaries in the United States, Canada and Mexico. They will begin a paid training opportunity on Jan. 6 at the company’s training center in Aurora, Colorado.
The two received Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology certificates of completion at TSTC’s fall commencement.
“It was a sigh of relief to get hired on with Kiewit,” Blanco said. “I’m ready to start training and apply the skills that I learned at TSTC.”
“I strongly feel that the Kiewit organization is a great first step to begin my career,” Jensen said. “I’m looking forward to learning more in the field.”
Carlos Gabriel Cambrelen, workforce development manager for Kiewit Corp., said it is important that new graduates be willing to travel for the job.
“Matthew and Skylar’s character and work history aligned with our company’s work in the construction field,” he said. “We believe they are technically proficient at the pre-apprentice level and will have a great career with the Kiewit organization.”
Vance Brison, director of apprenticeships and learning for Kiewit’s power delivery business, said the company hires on the premise that new employees are joining its family.
“Both young men created a warm conversation during their interview about their experiences in the Electrical Lineworker program at TSTC,” he said. “It’s a sense of trust and familiarity that indicates both graduates are worth investing in. Their completion of the program establishes the baseline for competency that our organization desires.”
Angel Toledo is TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program team lead.
“Matthew and Skylar’s hire with Kiewit demonstrates the quality of electrical lineworker graduates that our program has been producing for the workforce,” he said. “We wish both men the best of luck in their careers.”
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology at its Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses. The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months after graduation.
Registration continues for the spring semester at TSTC. To learn more, go to tstc.edu.
