(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Texas State Technical College hosted Houston City Council member Sallie Alcorn as she toured the Fort Bend County campus and learned about its programs on Monday, Dec. 5.
Alcorn was led by TSTC staff through many of the programs that are taught on campus, including Diesel Equipment Technology, Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology, Electrical Power and Controls, Precision Machining Technology, Robotics and Industrial Controls Technology, and Welding Technology.
“We are really flattered that she took the time to visit our campus,” said John Kennedy, associate provost at the Fort Bend County campus. “We are very proud of what we do here at the campus and love showing it off.”
Alcorn stated that her reason for visiting was to try and increase awareness of TSTC in Houston.
“I’m trying to figure out how to increase TSTC’s presence in Houston and get more students from Houston attending the campus,” she said.
Throughout her visit she continued to brainstorm with the TSTC staff, including campus provost Bryan Bowling, about how Houston could benefit from TSTC and its programs.
Currently the Fort Bend County campus has around 250 students attending from Harris County, whereas there are roughly 450 students attending from Fort Bend County itself.
What impressed Alcorn the most during her visit were the instructors.
“The instructors have been really great. They have a lot of enthusiasm and experience in their fields,” she said.
At the end of her visit, Alcorn visited the Welding Technology program and sat down with one of the instructors, who taught her how to do a simple weld. She was given a TSTC-branded welding helmet and, under careful supervision from the instructor, welded two pieces of sheet metal together.
Upon completion she exclaimed, “Mine is so terrible. I need to take a lot more classes.”
Alcorn ended her visit excited about a potential future working with TSTC.
“You hear a lot about the labor shortage. To keep Houston growing, we have to grow the workforce,” she said.
Registration for TSTC’s spring semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
