Texas Southmost College’s Business, Engineering, Architecture and Technology programs, better known as B.E.A.T., are helping shape the future of its students, and economic development not only in Brownsville but the entire Rio Grande Valley.
This is the view of Dr. Emma Miller, dean of B.E.A.T. Miller oversees 17 programs at TSC and says student numbers are rising.
“All the programs are growing from what I have seen,” Miller said. “That’s exciting because you know the trend right now in Higher Ed is enrollment is declining. So, we’re happy to report that ours is different. We are actually growing.”
Miller says the growth is due in large part to the different types of industry that have been moving to the region. The current industry trend is businesses relocating from Asia to Mexico, the United States, and North America. This move has a direct impact on education, specifically, technical and vocational programs, she argues.
Miller said TSC has many trades available for students wanting to enter the workforce.
“So, you have electrical, HVAC, construction, engineering, drafting…all the different programs that all these companies are actually looking for. So, it’s definitely playing a key role,” Miller added.
As dean of the B.E.A.T. programs, Miller understands the importance of being connected to the business community in order to be able to offer relevant programs at the college.
“It’s actually very important for us because most of the time, I have seen where schools try to push their programs to industry instead of the other way around,” she said.
Miller said it is important to ask industry what type of programs they need in order to prepare students to enter a secure workforce. She added that all their Career Technical Education (CTE) programs have an advisory committee, which is composed of industry in different disciplines.
Advisory committees serve as a bridge between two organizations, in this case, it serves as a way to let the college know what type of workforce is needed so the college can offer those specific programs. Advisory committees are also composed of alumni, as well as other members of the community and the college.
“We love to have alumni also sit in the advisory (committee meetings) to tell us what their experience was,” Miller said, adding that this type of input serves to gauge how the college is doing, what worked and what didn’t.
These days when you think of Brownsville and Cameron County in terms of industry, it seems the focus is on Space X and the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export terminals being built at the Port of Brownsville. TSC is aware of these two big industries and is doing what it can to be at the forefront of education.
“That’s a big area so when you have companies of that magnitude, they attract a lot of different industries,” Miller said. “For example, having the LNG here attracted Bechtel. Bechtel is a huge employer right now. They are hiring a number of local welders and pipe fitters.
Miller added that the demand for these jobs doesn’t just affect the Brownsville area but stretches up the Valley.
“They are all experiencing growth in those areas because the demand of these companies is coming in,” she said. “A lot of times you don’t get that (hiring locally) but we’re happy to see that they are actually hiring locally.”
TSC regularly interacts with the local school districts to make sure students are aware of the programs and career opportunities they offer.
“We regularly attend their expos or their career job expositions,” Miller said. “We also sit in their advisory committees.”
Miller said Brownsville Independent School District recently had their BISD Advisory Committee meeting, of which she is a part of.
“We meet and discuss. We sit with industry, we sit with the principals and talk about all the different things that are happening and how we can collaborate together; more to have the students coming through to earn those degrees that are going to help them get those jobs,” Miller said. “Those high-paying jobs.”
But TSC isn’t only available for technical and vocational degrees, they also help guide students who would like to pursue a four-year degree by transferring into a university.
“We also partner with UTRGV and (Texas) A&M. We just signed with Texas Woman’s University,” Miller said. “We try to give those students the opportunity to continue on because it’s important. Not everybody just wants to stay where they’re at. They should grow. They should go for that four-year degree if that’s what they aspire to have.”
Miller expanded on some of the programs available at TSC.
“On our CTE side, our technical side we have… our big programs are electrical, which is residential and commercial electrical, construction, IMMT, advanced manufacturing. High demand. Students have jobs before they graduate,” she said. “We also have computer science, cybersecurity – high demand – agriculture, accounting, and business. “It’s just a different variety of programs you can enter.”
Miller said that growth is palpable in Cameron County.
“I have seen that growth already and it’s only going to get better,” she said. “There’s such a movement coming into the region, particularly on this side of the Valley, Cameron County, that I expect everybody to grow.”
In addition, Miller said the largest growth she has seen is in electrical, construction, and HVAC. There is a very high demand for these trades as well as engineering.
“We have also seen a growth in automotive and autobody,” she said. “We have companies that were coming down from San Antonio recruiting our students. That’s how high demand they are.”
The workforce is also changing, according to Miller.
“The workforce of the future is different than you’ve seen in the past. In the past you had to get a four-year degree to get a good paying job. That’s not the case anymore. The trades, I think, are catching up to, in my view… like nursing…very high demand positions. They’re paying six figure salaries. So, it’s flipped,” she said.
“You can earn your degrees, certificates, and your associate’s and earn the same amount of money or more as somebody with a four-year degree without the amount of debt.”
Miller said industry brings more job opportunities, which brings new education opportunities, and hence, more students.
“Everybody benefits, as you know that education is the great equalizer. What better place than Texas Southmost College?” Miller asked.
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