How Texas Southmost College meets the labor needs of local industry

4 days ago 27

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Texas Southmost College’s Workforce Training & Continuing Education department prides itself on being nimble flexible, able to pivot to meet the changing demands of industry.

A case in point, says Ricardo Treviño, TSC’s director of industry relations and outreach, is the way the college has adapted its curriculum to quickly produce workers for SpaceX and the liquefied natural gas companies at the Port of Brownsville.

“Some of our programs, like the welding, the pipe fitting programs, a lot of the training and the curriculum that we follow is based to meet that demand of what’s happening at the Port of Brownsville with the LNG,” Treviño said.

“So, we’re trying to more and more shift our curriculum so that it can meet that demand, so that the students can get the best training possible so they can get those jobs.”

By way of example, Treviño cited Bechtel, the company NextDecade hired to handle the construction of its LNG export terminal at the Port of Brownsville.

“With Bechtel has come in and set up the groundwork for construction. So, a part of the curriculum we built for our welding program is directly tied to the needs that they have. So that we can start putting out more employees that can join those ranks and be able to get that up and going.”

Dr. David Plummer, TSC’s vice president of student services agreed.

“At the end of the day, we need the student to get the job. So, we don’t go and say, hey, employer, here’s what you need. We go and say, what do we need? What does the student need to know? What can we do help you?” Plummer said.

“And I think that’s what this team does a really good job of, engaging those people, bringing them in, showing them our curriculum, and saying what is it that you need now? What do you need a year from now?”

The Rio Grande Guardian met Plummer and Treviño at TSC’s ITEC Center, where the college’s workforce training and continuing education courses are held. They gave us a tour of the building, focusing on the construction and manufacturing programs.

The programs within the construction and manufacturing arena include:

• Additive Technology and Manufacturing

• Commercial and Residential Electrician

• Construction

• Forklift

• Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology

• Laser Welding

• Orbital Tube Welding

• Pipefitting

• Pipe Welding

• Plumbing

• Scaffolding

• Welding

Treviño said many of the programs are ten weeks in duration, or 160 hours.

“A lot of the individuals that they come in and they start a program have little to no experience when they start,” Treviño said. “So, we take a small cohort of about 12 people at the most, because we want our instructor to be highly connected and engaged with the students as they complete their training.”

Many of the individuals that are joining the programs are aged 22 to 34. “The whole purpose of every one of the programs that we put together is for a student to be able to get a job after they complete the training,” Treviño said said.

If they complete the course the students receive a TSC certificate. Many of the programs are stackable, allowing the students to transfer to a credit program such as building and construction.

However, some students want to get straight to work, either by setting up their own company or joining their family’s business, Treviño said. “They’re very entrepreneurial.”

The instructors TSC employs have considerable experience in industry. “They are master electricians or master plumbers. “They are individuals that have been in the field, that have that first-person engagement experience. They are not just an instructor,” Treviño said.

During the tour of ITEC Center, Treviño said he wanted to highlight the diesel engine technology program.

“This program is so interesting because, on average, 90 percent of the students that start this program have never worked on a diesel engine before. So, we have a small cohort of students, about ten to 12 students, to start the program, and they go from the smallest engines, which are typically farm equipment, and then they move towards the 18-wheeler engine,” Treviño said.

“We’re so happy to say that a lot of our diesel engine technology students are being hired here locally. Brownsville ISD is picking up some of those students. We’re prepping the students to be able to work as well at the Port of Brownsville, working with those diesel engines as well. So, a very, very interesting program, because across the Valley, there is a great need for more diesel techs.”

DFG Solutions

Trevino asked one of TSC’s partners, DFG Solutions, LLC, to participate in the interview. DFG places the pipe fitters trained at the college in jobs from Brownsville all the way north to Houston.

“We wanted to tailor the pipe fitting program to meet the demands that DFG has at the moment, because they’re the ones out there who are placing our students in good paying jobs,” Trevino said. “So that’s what we continue to do. We try to find more partners that we can connect with so that we can open more doors for our students.”

Editor’s Note: Here is an audio recording of the Guardian’s interview with Michael Sandoval of DFG and David Garcia, TSC’s pipefitting program lead instructor:

Editor’s Note: Here is a Texas Southmost College video about the ITEC Center and the programs its offers: