Latest news with #TSTC
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSTC Abilene Campus to launch new facility with trade programs
ABILENE, Texas () – Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Abilene Campus is nearing completion of a new facility that will provide new programs to meet the increasing demand for trade workers in the Big Country. The Big Country is seeing an ever-expanding growth of new industries and infrastructure, and with that growth comes a need for workers. Texas State Technical College in Abilene is using that need as a new opportunity for expansion with its campus. The project began for an additional building for TSTC classes in April of 2024 and has seen lightning movement with its construction. This 52,800 square foot building came with a total project cost of $30.3 million and is looking to open its doors very soon. To help pay for this project, TSTC was allocated funding through the Capital Construction Assistance Projects, under Senate Bill 52, during the 87th Texas Legislative Session in 2021, for expansion projects at 7 of the 10 campuses across the state. With the new facility also comes new programs of study, and Provost for TSTC West Texas, Andy Weaver, outlined what those new programs will be. 'In this building, we're going to be adding diesel technology, electrical line worker, plumbing, and HVAC. It's going to be an exciting offer, and it's serving a lot of our industry partners across the region,' Weaver said. Weaver went on to outline how TSTC prides itself on having the tools to bring real-world scenarios into the classroom for more in-depth student learning. One example of this is the state-of-the-art ambulance simulator, which is only found in a few select locations across the globe, and which TSTC students in medical studies have already been using. This new campus will be no different. The plumbing program will have a pit inside the facility filled with dirt and a variety of pipe layouts to simulate plumbers having to locate and repair pipes in the field. Weaver spoke about another addition to their Electrical Lineworker program that will be used as a teaching aid while prioritizing the safety of the students. 'We've already built the pole yard for that program. And then behind the building, there will be a short pole yard where students will be able to learn how to do the work at the top of the pole without having to climb to the top of the pole,' Weaver said The construction is expected to be completed by July of this year, allowing students to attend the new facility starting in the fall semester of 2025. Weaver stated that they are preparing for the new students and are actively working to ensure everything is ready for their arrival. 'We've already began accepting applications. We're already working those applications. We already have some students enrolled in those programs. We are absolutely pushing to get more applicants. Right now, we need more applicants, want more applicants. But we're headed in the right direction,' Weaver said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TSTC Marshall grows diesel tech program with new facility
MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Marshall campus is expanding the Diesel Equipment Technology program. A new expansion will allow students to get hands-on experience in a way previously unavailable. This comes in the way of a 21,720 square foot, $14.5 million building. Building Construction Technology program coming to TSTC Marshall Program team lead for Diesel Equipment Technology and Welding Technology, Bradley Hayes, is excited. 'Our old model had a lot of theory and trainers, but only a limited amount of real equipment,' Hayes said. 'Going from the theory to a trainer and then to the live equipment is going to give the student the most realistic experience in what their career is going to be like.' Campus provost Bart Day expects the new facility, and a $2.6 million investment in new equipment, to allow TSTC to graduate more prepared students. 'The expanded footprint and $2.6 million investment in new equipment will greatly enhance the skills our students gain while they're with us, and in turn provide employers with a technician with an even stronger capability to add to their bottom line.' More education news A ribbon cutting for the new Diesel Power Technologies Center at TSTC's Marshall campus will be held on Tuesday, May 13, at 1 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
TSTC graduates celebrate, look forward to life's next chapter
May 1—ABILENE — With cheers and applause, friends, family and classmates celebrated the accomplishments of Texas State Technical College's Spring 2025 graduating class on Wednesday, April 30. A majority of the students, when their name was announced, noted that they will begin their careers within the industry they studied. One of those students is Tyler Flippen, who earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls and is going to work at German printing press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer. "Tonight is a milestone that shows that a lot of hard work has paid off," he said. "This is the first reward of knowing the importance of getting our education." Garrett Deroche, who earned a certificate of completion in Welding Technology, already has two job offers to consider and knows that TSTC is the reason why. "Thanks to TSTC, I am going to have a lot of success in life," he said. "I am a better welder, and I am a better teammate." Yvette Escobedo, who received her Associate of Applied Science degree in Paramedic, has a long-range goal. She plans to work for the next few years and then pay her career forward. "I hope that one day I can come back to TSTC and teach the program," she said. Escobedo, who earlier in the day received an Emergency Medical Services program award for outstanding contributions during her time at TSTC, said her classmates became her second family. "We have gone through the trenches together," she said. "We are excited to see where everyone is going to go." Brandy Bird, who received a certificate of completion in Environmental Compliance, knows where she is going to go next. "I am coming back in the fall to study the safety side (of the Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance program)," she said. Bird said the program meant many things to her, but earning her certificate of completion is an accomplishment that she is most proud of. "This program was a lot of crying, stress and late nights, but it was fun," she said. Registration for TSTC's summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSTC earns 2025-26 Military Friendly School designation
Apr. 29—WACO — Texas State Technical College has earned the 2025-26 Military Friendly School designation. TSTC earned the silver designation among the large community colleges. Mike Reeser, chancellor and CEO of TSTC, said he is proud of the college's commitment to helping military veterans and its Military Friendly designation. "Our U.S. veterans of the armed forces often risk it all through their service," Reeser said in a news release. "So our TSTC team is proud that this designation acknowledges that the college is doing its part to express the gratitude we all owe to these extraordinary Americans." Institutions earning the designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2025-26 survey, with 830 earning special awards for going above the standard. The 2025-26 list will be published in the May and October issues of "G.I. Jobs" magazine and found at Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Founded in 2001, VIQTORY is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution's survey scores with the assessment of the institution's ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. "Military Friendly is committed to transparency and providing consistent data-driven standards in our designation process," Kayla Lopez, vice president of Military Friendly, said in the release. "Our standards provide a benchmark that promotes positive outcomes and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the military community. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages institutions to evolve and invest in their programs consistently. Schools that achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, exceeding the standard." Registration for TSTC's summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
TSTC students in West Texas qualify for national SkillsUSA competition
Apr. 15—ABILENE — Four Texas State Technical College students representing the West Texas campuses recently qualified for the upcoming 2025 SkillsUSA National Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference. One two-member team and two individuals won gold medals in their respective events at the SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference held in Corpus Christi earlier this month. Kelly Coontz and Elizabeth Hammons qualified in the Emergency Medical Technician event, Shawn Couet won Electronics Technology and Samantha Trevino won Medical Assisting. The four students will compete in the national SkillsUSA event June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia. For the second consecutive year, a TSTC Emergency Medical Services team from Abilene captured the Emergency Medical Technician gold medal. Coontz, of Pearland, and Hammons, of Richland, Mississippi, were excited about the competition and the win. Both students are currently enrolled in Emergency Medical Services — EMT. "It was a very friendly competition, mostly focused on being the best you can be," Koontz said in a news release. "It is good to know the quality of students TSTC, especially TSTC in Abilene, is putting out at a national level." "Winning made us feel that going through the classes and the skills we have been taught was rewarding," Hammons said. "Winning for the second straight year makes us proud." Couet, a current Electromechanical Technology student from Kerrville, said winning the state gold medal will help him during the national event. "This will give me a baseline on what to study for nationals," he said. "I now know what my strengths and weaknesses are and can work on them." Trevino, a Vocational Nursing student from Abilene, said she was "shocked" to learn that she won a gold medal. "I went into the competition with the skills I have learned from school and on the job, and won," she said. "I am excited to be going to nationals. This is a humbling experience and something I was not expecting." Also during the state event, three other West Texas students earned medals. The team of Rachelle Arthur and Gerardo Carrillo, both current Electromechanical Technology students, earned silver in Mechatronics, while Vocational Nursing student Kelly Perry received the bronze medal in Nurse Assisting. 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 specific contests at the state and national events in which students can compete, from 3D Visualization and Animation to Welding Sculpture. Registration for TSTC's summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to
