(RED OAK, Texas) – Texas State Technical College provides students with the knowledge and skills to meet industry needs.
Jimmy Carter, a CMP Equipment and Innovation engineer with semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments, said his industry is currently in need of skilled workers, a need he said TSTC can help with.
“The semiconductor industry is facing both shortages and oversupply challenges at once,” he said. “We are taking a closer look at skills, manpower and building. TSTC can help us by providing qualified candidates.”
TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program provides part of an answer to those industry challenges.
Lee Cockrell, lead instructor for the Electrical Power and Controls program at TSTC’s North Texas campus, said learning career-relevant skills is what makes TSTC students stand out.
“The hands-on training they get here (distinguishes them),” he said. “All of our labs are hands-on. They’re actually physically wiring stuff with their own hands.”
Cockrell said the program prepares students to enter the workforce in other ways as well.
“We try to get them ready for the field and ready to get out there,” he said. “We teach them not only how to work with electricity safely and the tools they’ll be using, we try to teach them to get here on time because that’s what their bosses are going to want: somebody who is dependable and is going to be there. So we also try to stress attendance, paying attention, doing a good job, and cleaning up after themselves.”
The need for skilled workers is one that TSTC can contribute to, and Cockrell encouraged more people to join the industry.
“The need for our students is great,” he said. “We can’t graduate enough students to fill their needs. The pay is good, especially for those that can get out there and travel.”
According to onetonline.org, electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians in Texas make an average yearly salary of $63,260. Additionally, the number of such jobs in the state was projected to grow 14% between 2020 and 2030.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls at the Abilene, Fort Bend County, North Texas and Waco campuses.
The Electrical Power and Controls program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee initiative. The college’s commitment to participating students is simple: If they do not have a job in their field within six months of graduation, then they will receive a full refund of their tuition.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
