(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Texas State Technical College is more than just a way to gain an education. It is focused on helping its students obtain higher-paying jobs after their graduation. It does so in large part by connecting those students with the local industries to help fill needs in the Texas workforce.
Judy Cox, a Career Services coordinator at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, helps students develop the soft skills needed for their future careers while also reaching out to and nurturing relationships with the various industries that TSTC has connections to.
“Industries want more than warm bodies in positions,” Cox said. “They want somebody who is highly trained but also has the soft skills. That is something Career Services helps with. We want our students to be able to communicate, to do interviews and to relay information on the job to customers.”
Through its Career Services department, TSTC gives students the opportunity to develop those skills while connecting them with the companies that need them. One of the best ways for company representatives and students to interact is through industry job fairs and employer spotlights.
“Industry job fairs are held twice a year, in the spring and fall semesters,” Cox stated. “We also do employer spotlights. The spotlights are golden. The company has one-on-one time with specific programs. That’s where the relationships between industries and students begin forming.”
At the spotlights, students are able to ask questions and learn about career opportunities they may never have considered before. They are an hour long and give the companies a chance to present their needs and what they want the students to know about them.
Cox sees TSTC as a crucial part of a technical industry cycle. Industries come to TSTC needing trained individuals. In response, many TSTC graduates go on to work with these companies in the field after meeting them at fairs and spotlights. Once the alumni have worked for years and gained substantial experience, they often come back to TSTC to teach and share their knowledge. That can lead to companies coming back to TSTC for more help.
“Once a company has hired one of our graduates and seen how we have trained them, the company comes back for more,” Cox said. “It’s a full circle.”
Over the next five to 10 years, the need for more technically trained individuals throughout the state will continue to grow. Onetonline.org forecasts the number of jobs in Texas for diesel mechanics as growing by 19% by 2030, with those for electrical lineworkers growing at an even faster rate of 24%.
“Things are always growing, evolving and changing,” Cox stated. “Companies are always going to come looking for more technically trained people.”
They need look no further than TSTC.
For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
