(RED OAK, Texas) – Eight students from the Welding Technology program at Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus are preparing to compete at the SkillsUSA Texas Leadership and Skills Conference scheduled for April 2-5 in Corpus Christi.
The campus will have two three-member teams competing in the Welding Fabrication contest and two students competing in the Welding contest.
“I’m excited for the North Texas students to showcase their skills on the state level,” said Joseph Francia, program team lead for TSTC’s Welding Technology program. “We have placed in the top three in Welding at state the last two years.”
SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA has more than 100 contests at the state and national events in which students can compete, including Additive Manufacturing, Internetworking, and Welding Sculpture.
Hunter Neff, of Waxahachie, is a first-semester student working on an associate degree in the Welding Technology program.
Neff will perform shielded metal arc welding as part of a Welding Fabrication team. He said he wanted to take part in SkillsUSA to get out of his comfort zone and make himself known to employers.
“I practice as much as I can here (at the campus),” Neff said. “I am also doing some practice at home.”
Neff said his team’s goal is to win at the state contest, win at the national level, and try to qualify for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Neff’s teammate, Dillon Foster, of Arlington, is also in his first semester in the Welding Technology program. The associate degree student said he will do gas metal arc welding in the fabrication contest.
Foster said TSTC faculty members recruited him to participate in SkillsUSA. He said his personal goal is to learn about job opportunities.
Students winning gold medals at the state level are qualified to participate in the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference being held June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information on SkillsUSA Texas, go to skillsusatx.org.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
