(ROSENBERG, Texas) – The day draws ever nearer that the newest building on Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County campus, the Transportation Technologies Center, opens its doors to the next generation of automotive technicians.
Two programs new to the campus, Auto Collision and Management Technology and Automotive Technology, will be housed in the building.
It is an exciting time for the campus, but why are the new programs needed, and why is a career in the automotive industry a good choice?
For starters, 362,688 vehicles were sold throughout Houston’s auto market in 2024, according to the Houston Automobile Dealers Association. Each one of those vehicles will need technicians to make sure that they run and look their best for years to come.
Rudy Cervantez, TSTC’s statewide lead for the two automotive programs, said the need for qualified technicians in the Houston area is high.
“The demand for auto techs and collision maintenance techs is higher than the current number coming in,” he said.
According to onetonline.org, the number of jobs for automotive service technicians and mechanics in Texas was forecast to increase 10% from 2020 to 2030. Likewise, automotive body and related repairers in the state were expected to see a 14% increase in job prospects over the same period.
While the two programs focus on different areas, with Auto Collision centering on body and cosmetic repairs and Automotive Technology on internal repairs, the plan is for the equipment and labs to be shared as much as possible.
“Efficiency is the word of the day,” Cervantez said. “In the new building we will be sharing labs, cars and trucks so that everything will be used throughout the semester, rather than just once or twice.”
The Transportation Technologies Center is set to open this fall.
For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
