(ABILENE, Texas) – The lights will be on during the evenings at Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Technology Center in Abilene.
Night classes will be offered in Electrical Power and Controls, Industrial Systems, and Welding Technology this fall. The fall semester begins Tuesday, Sept. 3.
“We have talked to many of our industry partners about the need for highly-trained workers,” Justin Price, associate provost of the Abilene campus, said. “Many people are not able to attend college during the day, so we decided to provide an opportunity for those who want to learn during the evening.”
Electrical Power and Controls will cover many areas in the Associate of Applied Science degree program, including AC and DC power circuits, motor controls technology, National Electrical Code compliance, transformers, electrical power distribution and electrical theory.
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians make an average annual salary of $64,220 in Texas, according to onetonline.org. The growth for the number of such positions in the state was projected to be 14% between 2020 and 2030, according to the website.
Students in the Industrial Systems classes will learn programmable logic controller (PLC) programming, hydraulics and pneumatics, and the theory and operation of various types of pumps and compressors. Students may study for an associate degree or a certification of completion.
The need for industrial machinery mechanics will increase over the next few years. According to onetonline.org, the number of such positions was expected to grow 35% in Texas between 2020 and 2030. The average salary for an industrial machinery mechanic in Texas is $60,480, according to the website.
“We knew that we needed to expand our services to better suit the industries in Abilene and surrounding communities,” Ronnie Pitts, program team lead for TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls and Industrial Systems programs, said.
Pitts said the names of instructors for those two programs’ evening classes will be announced at a later date.
Welding Technology’s evening classes will be taught by Taylor Elston. He will focus on teaching students blueprint reading, welding techniques, layout and fabrication. Students can study for an associate degree or a certification of completion.
“This will help those who are currently painters or have another job but want to make additional money as a welder,” Greg Nicholas, program team lead for Welding Technology, said. “This will help us bridge the gap of the nontraditional students who work during the day but want to go to school.”
According to onetonline.org, welders can earn a yearly median salary of more than $48,000 in Texas. Welding jobs were expected to increase 23% between 2020 and 2030 in the state, according to the website.
The deadline to register for the evening classes is Friday, Aug. 16. Learn more at tstc.edu.
