(ROSENBERG, Texas) – There is always going to be a need for welders, regardless of the industry that you go into, according to Brenda Wilson, HR manager for Titan Production Equipment.
Wilson knows what she is talking about. Having begun her career nearly 20 years ago, she has seen the need for welders firsthand and watched as Titan went from a small team to a full-fledged business that engineers, designs and manufactures equipment used to separate, process and treat hydrocarbon streams for the oil and gas industry.
As an industry partner with Texas State Technical College, Titan works closely with instructors to ensure that students are being taught the skills needed to succeed in the workforce, whether or not they end up working for Titan after graduation.
“Probably around 2013, we (Titan’s precursor company) were struggling to find really good qualified welders and fitters,” Wilson said. “We had reached out to a whole bunch of different technical schools, and TSTC was the most successful.”
TSTC prides itself on getting students not only the education and hands-on training they need, but also a great-paying job after graduation. The Welding Technology program is one of nine programs that are 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.
Wilson noted that while the job market is constantly changing, those with the welding and fitting skills needed to be masters in their craft will never be without a job.
One recent graduate from TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, Eric Rubalcaba, believes that the education he received will help him achieve his desired career.
“I have a cousin who has his own welding business,” Rubalcaba said. “I look up to him, and it makes me want to do what he does.”
The average annual salary for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers in Texas is $48,500, according to onetonline.org. The website showed that the need for these specialists in the state was forecast to grow 23% between 2020 and 2030.
TSTC offers Welding Technology at all 11 of its campuses. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
