Workforce Center expands at STC’s Mid-Valley Campus

WESLACO, Texas – South Texas College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their Mid-Valley Campus to celebrate the renovation and expansion of their Workforce Center.

The center, which houses the welding, automotive and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) programs, saw a 47 percent increase in space that includes a newly constructed stand-alone building. The renovations involved the addition of over 40 new welding booths for the campus’s welding lab and a brand-new indoor lab and covered outdoor space for HVAC students. Erected adjacent to the center, the new structure is outfitted with three bays and lifts for automotive students to work on vehicles.

The event drew local and state-elected officials, including Texas state Sen. Morgan LaMantia and Texas state Rep. Armando “Mando” Martinez, as well as STC faculty and staff.

Sara Lozano, STC’s dean of business, public safety and technology, thanked the college’s board of trustees, the facilities team and those in attendance for making the expansion come into fruition. She explained that in 2021, after identifying programs that were due for more investment, she and her team presented the board with their plans for expanding the three vocational programs at the Weslaco campus.

Sara Lozano, dean of business, public safety and technology at South Texas College. (Photo: Patricia Martinez/RGG)

“What we were finding was that a lot of our students would start with our programs, and they would not finish here,” said Lozano. “They would actually go over to the McAllen campus because it was the main campus. And one of the biggest things that we wanted to do was provide access to the same type of training – the excellence and service that we provide at the Technology Campus and at the rest of our main campuses – provide that here, so this would be a main campus for the mid-Valley area.”

Lozano also thanked the faculty who, despite not having every resource they might have needed, still provided quality instruction to all their students. Where students once had to share a one-bay garage and 25 welding booths, there are now three bays, over 60 booths and much more space for all the classes.

A new structure has gone up at STC’s Mid-Valley Campus’ Workforce Center. (Photo: Patricia Martinez/RGG)

“I know you all made it work in the past,” said Lozano. “Every time that we would come and see the students, the students were working. And they were sweating. They were sometimes sharing welding booths or sharing the space with automotive. So, we did what we could, but I really am grateful that we’re at this point where now you can do what our students deserve.”

Lozano says that as the region grows, so does the demand for the trades. With the Workforce Center expansion, she says opportunities are now even possible for students wanting vocational training while still in high school.

STC Board of Trustees Chair Alejo Salinas, Jr. (Photo:: Patricia Martinez)

“Dual credit schools – we sometimes hear from them that they want to partner with us, but they don’t necessarily have the facility at their campus,” said Lozano. “So, because we expanded, we now have that opportunity to explore what it might look like if they wanted to come to our campus instead of us going to their campus. So, yeah, there’s greater opportunities for partnerships for sure, and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

In his remarks, STC Board of Trustees Chair Alejo Salinas, Jr., reiterated the college’s commitment to investing in their students and the courses in which they enroll.

“I feel that there’s no doubt that South Texas College is committed to providing the best facilities and the best instruction for our students,” said Salinas. “It profits all of us. It profits our community in many, many ways. And, we will always have the need for the type of people that we train in the vocational areas at South Texas College. So, it’s a special day for us.”

State Sen. Morgan LaMantia. (Photo: Patricia Martinez/RGG)

Speaking for herself and her colleagues in Austin, LaMantia said that the Rio Grande Valley delegation has led the way to secure state funding for workforce development. She thanked Martinez and others for working together to support institutions like STC that train students for the in-demand careers of the future.

“The state’s efforts underscore the importance of preparing for future industry demands,” said LaMantia. “And the RGV continues to demonstrate that we have what it takes to answer the call. And we’ve seen it time and time again, and that’s why we continue to grow. Our students deserve access to the best resources as they prepare for successful careers in some of the country’s most competitive and rapidly growing industries.”

LaMantia said the return on their investment can already be seen across different sectors. To prove her point, she shared an anecdote involving one of the nation’s most pioneering companies – SpaceX.

“I was talking to some administrators over at SpaceX the other day, and they said of all their facilities – they have other facilities in Texas; they have manufacturing facilities in Florida and California – but, the best welders are here in South Texas,” said LaMantia. “And that’s because of what are education is doing. That’s because of what our community colleges, our technical schools and our high schools are doing. We have the best welders in the country, and that’s because of the efforts of each and every one of you.”

LaMantia added, “The work that’s being done in South Texas is really having an impact across the country because people are finding out that South Texas is the place to be, that these are the people that you want to hire for your companies because we have the skill sets, we have the education, and we have the passion that’s going to see it through.”

Registration for STC is currently open for the fall semester, which begins Aug. 26.

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