Marcus Balch, provost of TSTC’s North Texas campus, was excited for the first in-person ceremony held since fall 2019.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “A lot of the students we had not seen a lot of in the face with their masks on.”

Jerold Nichols, president of Amber Electric Contractors Inc. and a board member of The TSTC Foundation, told graduates to foster their character and commitment in their lives. He also said never stop learning.

Several graduates already have jobs.

Leon Sheares, of Waxahachie, earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization in the spring but wanted to walk across the stage for his family.

“It was a personal achievement I needed to have,” he said. “I think this is a milestone.”

Sheares had another challenge during his studies: He suffered a stroke.

“I finished,” he said. “I still completed my task. I went through so much to get here.”

Sheares has worked for 11 years at PepsiCo Gatorade in Dallas, with two of those years in the maintenance department. He said his company’s maintenance apprenticeship program enabled him to go to TSTC to earn his degree.

“It was a blessing,” he said. “I enjoyed my classmates. We had fun. We were a unit.”

Sheares said he would celebrate with his family, but had to be at work at 7 a.m. on Friday for the start of his shift.

Wyatt LaFleur, of Mesquite, finished his last class on Thursday morning. He received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization that night.

“TSTC gave me a future,” he said. “Industrial Systems is fun, and every day is different. I like puzzles, and broken machines are puzzles.”

LaFleur has been working since earlier this fall as a maintenance technician at Cardinal Glass Industries in Waxahachie. Now that he has graduated, his work will go full time.

“There is no stress or nervousness,” LaFleur said. “This is just a smooth transition.”

LaFleur said he and his family would celebrate his achievement at Chili’s.

Darien Teran, of Ennis, earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology.

“I will miss the shop we have at TSTC and being able to use the equipment,” he said.

Teran said his degree is special because it shows his 14-year-old son that you can pursue what you want to do. Teran also said he wants to be a role model for his son.

Teran works at JTEKT Automotive Texas in Ennis and has plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering in the future.

“I’m excited to take the next step,” he said. 

For more information, log on to tstc.edu.

“They have been great about working with us,” said Lily Connolly, Cardinal IG Co.’s recruiting manager in Waxahachie. “It is a work in progress because we are trying to figure out how many people we may need to recruit from the technical degrees. We are looking for the technical background for our maintenance technicians.”

Earlier this semester, the company hired its first TSTC Industrial Systems student for part-time job-shadowing work. Wyatt LaFleur, of Balch Springs, is working toward an associate degree and is scheduled to graduate in December. He works two days a week shadowing company maintenance technicians. The part-time job complements his class schedule.

“No day is going to be the same,” LaFleur said. “It is about new problems, new techniques, new corrections. There is absolute job security because there is always going to be a need for maintenance.”

LaFleur said he will continue working at the company full time upon graduation.

“It’s fun and relaxed, and I like it,” he said. “There are really good people here.”

Though the company’s primary need is for maintenance technicians, Connolly said the company could offer part-time opportunities in the future to students in TSTC’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology and Welding Technology programs. The company has more than 300 employees.

The company will undergo an expansion in the next couple of years, meaning more opportunities for workers with maintenance-type skills.

“Our maintenance department is phenomenal, and it is sought after,” Connolly said. “A lot of people want to work in it. The leadership is phenomenal. The lifestyle of our maintenance technicians is very much desired.”

Texas will have a need for more than 8,000 machinery and maintenance workers by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website. Workers in Texas can make a yearly median salary of more than $46,000 a year.

According to Zippia.com, a career-expert website, the top areas that maintenance technicians need to have knowledge in include electrical systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and hand tools.

Jarriet Durham, lead instructor in TSTC’s Industrial Systems program at the North Texas campus, said the Dallas-Fort Worth area has numerous opportunities for graduates, including electrical and millwright internships.

“They can work on commercial construction equipment, automated supply-chain equipment and power generation systems, as well as industrial manufacturing equipment,” he said.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization and a certificate of completion in Industrial Systems Mechanic – Electrical at the North Texas campus.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

What got you interested in studying cybersecurity?

I got interested in cybersecurity like every other kid does by watching hacker movies and playing Watch Dogs, a video game. It made me think about what the bad people are doing, and what are the good people doing to stop it?

Going to a big four-year university was going to be expensive for me and was not an option. I started looking at technical schools, and when I was looking at TSTC, it seemed like a financially viable option for me. I could go to night classes after work and get a degree and go into a career that I am passionate about.

What is a typical workday like for you?

An average day for me is watching for security alerts that come in and handling those, mitigating those and just accepting the risk of those. We have a bring-your-own device program, so students have their cell phones with them. If we get a security alert from a personal device and depending on what it is, we might handle it or just ignore it, or let the teacher know. I also spend time checking on network equipment and watching availability issues with Wi-Fi. I also handle technical issues at one of our campuses. 

How do you stay informed about new technology?

A lot of that is extracurricular for me. A lot of my time is spent currently understanding what is going on in our environment. I do some online training myself. I try to keep an eye on what is going on in the information security realm with Twitter and different people I follow there, like malware reverse engineers.

What kind of career advice would you give to others?

For high school students, they are in the best position, especially if they can get their homework done on time. They have all that time after school to put it into studying something. If you can take that time and put it into something, you will become good at it. If someone is completely starting from zero, like never touched a computer before, I would probably say you need to start with hardware, like understanding how computers work, and build from there.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website, computer network support specialists in Texas make a yearly median salary of more than $70,000. Most jobs are concentrated in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity, a Certificate of Completion in Digital Forensic Specialist and an Occupational Skills Award in Basic Cybersecurity. All programs are offered online using the performance-based education model.

For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

“Technology in our industry is constantly changing, from hybrid trucks that use electric axles to compressed natural gas engines being used now,” said Matthew Dobbs, lead instructor in the Diesel Equipment Technology program at Texas State Technical College in North Texas.

Dobbs said safety technology is being used on class 7 and class 8 trucks for accident mitigation.

“It’s not the dirty-black-smoke diesel trucks of the past anymore,” he said. “The exhaust systems prevent these new trucks from putting out the black smoke.”

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores has locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Ennis, Italy and Midlothian. Gary Price, the company’s executive vice president of truck care, said it is challenging to fill open diesel technician positions.

“A diesel technician is a highly specialized and skilled role that requires specific training because of the large quantity of diverse, heavy class 7 and 8 equipment on the highway,” he said.

Price said the company looks at potential employees’ positive attitudes, integrity, values and work ethics, along with their technical skills. The company has a diesel technician apprenticeship program, along with opportunities to attain management or Automotive Service Excellence level 6 mechanic status.

“Many of Love’s managers started from entry-level hourly positions,” Price said.

Philip Gurke, transportation director for the Waxahachie Independent School District, said his department looks for people with experience, particularly with school buses. The district has a fleet of 55 diesel engine buses.

“School buses are a different animal as far as the chassis, the drivetrain,” Gurke said.

Today’s buses come with multiplex wiring, sensors for wheelchair lifts, emergency exit alarms and other components that trained diesel technicians need to know how to fix.

Gurke said he is open to internships for high school and college students to shadow diesel technicians. 

Those workers will have new skills to learn in the future. Gurke said the future of buses is electric, which the school district could slowly include in its fleet as charging technology improves and manufacturer training is offered.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website, bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists make a yearly median salary of more than $48,000 in Texas. Texas will need more than 34,000 workers by 2028, according to the agency.

“We have excelled in placing our graduates in high-paying jobs,” Dobbs said. “We have an over 95% placement rate. Most of our students go to work in industry for a trucking company. They can advance as fast as they are willing to put in the work.”

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Diesel Equipment Technology – Heavy Truck Specialization and two Diesel Equipment Technology – Heavy Truck certificates of completion.

Dobbs said the program’s best students come in with a willingness to learn.

“We try to prepare them for exactly what they are going to see on the first day of the job,” Dobbs said. “Most are not going to walk right in and start rebuilding engines or transmissions. They start out small on trailers or do preventive maintenance on trucks and work their way up.”

For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

Students will take classes at TSTC’s North Texas campus in Red Oak, at their home campuses with TSTC-credential instructors, or online. Ten TSTC technical programs are being offered to students this year.

“TSTC is excited to welcome back many of our dual enrollment partner schools and students to our programs this year,” said Marcus Balch, TSTC’s provost of the North Texas campus. “While many students were forced to pause dual enrollment classes during the COVID pandemic, many are choosing to pick up where they left off last year.”

Students at Advantage Academy Charter School Grand Prairie, Castleberry High School in River Oaks, Ferris High School, Italy High School and Red Oak High School will take technical programs that have expanded online. These programs are Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology, Business Management Technology (Accounting), Cybersecurity, Digital Media Design and Medical Office Specialist.

“We are reaching more of our schools that are farther away from a TSTC campus,” said Marsha Semelfort, a TSTC dual enrollment recruitment representative. “Online is giving them more flexibility and more offerings for their students.”

Three of the online programs will be taught in the performance-based education format being used statewide at TSTC campuses.

“I think the ability to have several attempts to master the skill will work well with our students,” Semelfort said. “Also, the ability to move to the next course is a benefit. Some of our students want to get into the workforce right out of high school.”

Non-online programs being offered to the high school students are Automotive Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, Electrical Power and Controls, Precision Machining Technology and Welding Technology.

Registration continues for the fall semester, with scholarships available. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

Ashley Yezak, statewide lead instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Welding Technology program, said the need for welders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has not slowed down as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic.

“With energy production, technology and such, life still goes on,” he said. “There is a need for welders in the plants, on the bridges and in the fabrication shops. Everything is still being transported by rail, so you have that industry that is still strong and steady.”

Yezak said employers are looking right now for welders who can work with different processes, such as shielded metal arc welding and gas tungsten arc welding.

Warren Ketteman, senior director of economic development for the city of Waxahachie, said welding is a topic that is discussed by business prospects involved in the metal industry.

“(Welders) always seem to be in short supply,” he said. “Of special interest are those who can do MIG and TIG welding. Most businesses inform me that they want prospective employees that know the basics and perform them well. They can train them to do the rest.”

Ketteman said welding jobs at metal companies are abundant in Waxahachie.

“This is a field of work where the growth rate has been positive for some time and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future,” he said. “For those students interested in this career, I believe a job will always be available for someone with a good skill set and a willingness to be trained. The pay is pretty good too.”

There have been more than 500 jobs seeking brazers, cutters, solderers, machine setters, operators, tenders, welders and welder fitters from December 2020 to late May 2021, according to Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas in Arlington. That figure encompasses 16 counties in North Texas.

The fields of construction, manufacturing and administration, support and waste management and remediation services needed the most workers, totaling almost 300. Some of the companies that sought workers include Martin Sprocket & Gear Inc., Minco Construction Co. and Republic Services Inc., according to Workforce Solutions.

Some of the top specialized skills that businesses look for in potential workers include experience in gas metal arc welding and flux core welding, knowing how to read schematic diagrams, using hand tools and operating grinders.

At its North Texas campus, TSTC  offers certificates of completion in Structural Welding and Structural and Pipe Welding, and an occupational skills award in Basic Welding – Multiple Processes.

Registration continues for the fall semester, with scholarships available. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

Jarriet Durham, lead instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization program in North Texas, said graduates’ skills are also needed in the oil and gas and alternative energy fields. Workers can also go into electrical distribution and construction.

“A majority of the graduates are working in the industry when they cross the stage,” Durham said. “We can’t provide enough graduates right now.”

TSTC and the Gerdau Midlothian Steel Mill have partnered since 2015 in providing employees with opportunities to work toward certificates of completion or associate degrees in the Industrial Systems program.

Jayelle Kryder, Gerdau’s human resources manager, said there is an application period each year for the company’s machine operators and maintenance personnel to apply to pursue their studies at TSTC. Once chosen, workers travel to the Red Oak campus each Friday during semesters to take classes.

“I love the partnership,” Kryder said. “For us, especially in this job market right now, it is giving me a lot of peace of mind knowing we have a long-term pipeline for maintenance. It is not easy to find external maintenance technicians that understand an industrial setting.”

Kryder recommends that other companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth area take a look at what TSTC can do for them.

“For any employers looking at their long-term technical pipelines, building it in-house has been phenomenal for us,” she said. “TSTC has been a great business partner to help us focus on the skills our folks need.”

In the last year, TSTC’s Industrial Systems graduates have been hired by the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as Alcon Laboratories, Aloe Vera of America, Gerdau, Mapei Corp., Mechanical Comfort Systems and Oncor, according to TSTC’s Career Services office.

According to information from Workforce Solutions North Central Texas in Arlington, there were more than 300 job openings from March to June for industrial machinery mechanics, millwrights and machinery maintenance workers in the 16-county North Texas area. Cities with the most job openings during this period were Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland and Grand Prairie.

Some of the companies that have been looking for workers in the last three months include Avis Budget Group Inc., Bass Pro Shops, Dart Container Corp. and Niagara Bottling Co., according to Workforce Solutions. Companies are considering workers who can do repair work, handle machinery, weld, undertake preventive maintenance and drive a forklift.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website, industrial machinery mechanics in Texas earn a yearly median salary of more than $54,000. Jobs are centered in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas. More than 42,500 workers will be needed by 2028 in Texas.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Systems – Electrical Specialization and an Industrial Systems Mechanic – Electrical certificate at its North Texas campus. The program offers day and night classes in a hybrid format.

Some of the topics that students learn in the program include basic electrical theory, hydraulics, machinery installation, motor control and programmable logic controllers. Hands-on work is emphasized in the program.

The program attracts more nontraditional students than those just out of high school. Durham attributes this to students knowing someone who already works in the industry.

“It is a physical job, but technical,” he said. “It is not glamorous.”

Registration continues for the fall semester, and scholarships are available. For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

Warren Ketteman, president and chief executive officer of the Waxahachie Economic Development Corp., said the availability of electricity is a key factor for prospective companies interested in the city. The Waxahachie EDC and Texas State Technical College in North Texas work together to ensure that there is a trained workforce for new and existing companies to fill jobs.

“With manufacturers, they want to know the proximity of available power, or if it is not in near proximity to the site, how soon can it get there,” Ketteman said.

Nick Scarpinato, lead instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program at the North Texas campus, said he has talked to representatives of four companies in the last month regarding employment opportunities for students. This is a sign, he said, that the job market is doing well.

“They (employers) come to our facility, and they see what we are doing and say, ‘Wow, that is what we need,’” he said. “We are trying to make courses that fit the industry.”

Scarpinato said TSTC students often have jobs lined up before graduation, with many staying to work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He said Oncor has hired several alumni, and Sherwin-Williams has expressed interest in program graduates. AEP and Coca-Cola have also hired recent graduates statewide.

“With Electrical Power and Controls, there are so many different options,” Scarpinato said. “You can start out in one area, and if you don’t like it, you can move to another very easily.”

Cisco-Eagle Inc., which has its headquarters in Dallas, is currently looking for a programmable logic controller and field technician who can program automated safety systems, do minor controls wiring, create electrical drawings and schematics, and troubleshoot issues. The company specializes in all facets of materials handling, including automation and distributed intelligence.

Logan Beard, Cisco-Eagle’s health and safety manager who also does onboarding of new employees and handles job postings, said he has noticed more people applying for jobs throughout the company. He said the company likes to see job applicants with some technical experience. The company works with Allen-Bradley and Schneider programmable logic controllers.

“If we are asking for someone to hit the ground running, we want them to have that background,” Beard said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website, powerhouse, substation and relay electrical and electronics repairers make a yearly median salary of more than $70,000 in Texas. More than 1,900 workers will be needed in the state by 2028.

Graduates can also go on to become commercial and industrial equipment electrical and electronics repairers. These workers make a yearly median salary of more than $61,000 in the state. More than 5,800 workers will be needed by 2028.

North Texas’ Precision Machining Technology program teaches hybrid classes and labs during the day and at night. Students can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology or a certificate of completion in Machining.

“We leave the construction and installation to the electricians,” said Richard Filut, statewide lead instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program. “We are more about the engineering and maintenance aspects. We still have some of the same skills as far as being able to install a piece of conduit or run wires or terminate conductors. We are more worried about the operations of the equipment.”

This fall, Advantage Academy Charter School Grand Prairie and Red Oak High School will have students taking dual enrollment classes to earn a certificate of completion in Machining.

Registration continues for the fall semester, with scholarships available. For more information, go to tstc.edu. 

“(Many human-made things would) not exist without a machine and its components,” said Nathan Cleveland, acting statewide lead in Texas State Technical College’s Precision Machining Technology program and associate provost at TSTC in Marshall.

Cleveland said high school students need to be more exposed to what precision machining is, along with its career stability and income potential. He said most students who enter TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program usually know someone already in the industry. The program’s classes at the North Texas campus are taught at night.

Lyle Guinn, the lead instructor for TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program in North Texas, said students entering the program should be good at spatial thinking, have a mechanical aptitude and understand geometry.

Cleveland said the kinds of jobs that program graduates want depend on the area of Texas where they want to live. He said while East Texas has many production jobs, the Houston area has many oil and gas industry jobs. The career niche that graduates shift into will factor into their income.

“A lot of it is where they (graduates) want to live, what kind of benefits they want and if they want to continue on in their education,” Guinn said. “A lot of the companies you go to work for as a machinist will continue to pay for your education.”

Companies that have sought machining workers in the last few months in North Texas include Amazon, Bridgestone/Firestone, Sabre Industries Inc. and FedEx, according to Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas.

Industrial engineering technologists and technicians have the highest hourly wage for experienced workers among machining-type jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at more than $40, according to data from Workforce Solutions. The second-highest hourly wage for experienced workers is more than $39 for metal and plastic model makers.

Workforce Solutions’ 16-county area has more than 7,700 machinists and more than 6,600 metal and plastics machine tool cutting setters, operators and tenders.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop website, computer numerical controlled tool programmers are making a yearly median salary of more than $57,000 in Texas. Jobs are concentrated in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology and a certificate of completion in Machining. 

Registration continues for the fall semester. Scholarships are available. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

“The main thing that comes to mind about our program is that the students who have graduated and were working during this pandemic never lost any wages,” said Matthew Dobbs, lead instructor in Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program at the North Texas campus in Red Oak. “They continued to work and provide for their families due to the need for continued trucking deliveries. The last thing we needed was for the trucks to not be able to deliver the supplies that we needed to survive.”

More than 500 jobs were advertised for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists from September 2020 to February 2021 in the 16-county area that Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas serves. Employers with the most job openings during that time were Love’s Travel Shops, Ryder System Inc., TravelCenters of America and Rusk Truck Centers.

There were more than 7,600 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in the third quarter of 2020 in Workforce Solutions’ service area. The mean hourly wage for the workers was $27.04 in 2019, according to the most recent data from the agency.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that there will be a need for more than 290,000 bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists by 2029.

Timco Logistics has called Waxahachie home for about two decades and specializes in brokerage work, hauling, logistics and trucking. The company is working with the city of Waxahachie and Ellis County in a building expansion project expected to break ground later this year. The expansion means the company will need at least 15 new diesel technicians to handle an increased workload.

“They are having to outsource some of their maintenance work because they cannot get it all done with the facility they have right now,” said John Dagg, an area certified public account working as a consultant with Timco Logistics. “It is stretched and not big enough. That costs money when they outsource truck maintenance.”

Brandon Luiszer, manager of talent acquisition for Love’s Travel Shops, said it is a challenge to find qualified job candidates, especially in less populated areas. Love’s has several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and throughout Texas. The company is having a National Hiring Day event on March 31 with the goal of hiring more than 2,000 workers nationwide.

The company has an apprenticeship program that enables participants to earn competitive wages and work toward becoming diesel mechanics. At the end of the program, participants receive a tool kit that is valued at $3,500 and is theirs to keep after one year of employment with the company.

“There needs to be more visibility into career opportunities within the skilled labor workforce and the rewards that come with these opportunities,” Luiszer said. “There should also be more focus on providing options to high school students besides joining the military or (pursuing) a traditional four-year degree.”

Marcus Balch, provost of TSTC’s North Texas campus, said there is a pipeline of students who took automotive classes at Red Oak High School and are enrolling at TSTC.

“Diesel Equipment Technology is a campus staple,” he said. “Many of our students come to our campus to enroll specifically in the program, and that is well known for establishing solid baseline skills in this field of study. In addition, we have three very solid instructors in this program, all of whom are TSTC graduates who have returned to teach.”

TSTC in North Texas offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and two certificates in Diesel Equipment Technology – Heavy Truck Specialization.

Registration for the summer and fall semesters continues at TSTC. For more information, go to tstc.edu.