(RED OAK, Texas) – Francisco Tijerina has worked in the production department of LATICRETE’s Grand Prairie location for 20 years.
When he transferred to the company’s maintenance department, he enrolled in the Advanced Manufacturing – Industrial Maintenance program at Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus.
“I moved up in production — started from the bottom and went up as far as I could. It was to the point where I couldn’t go any further,” Tijerina said. “They had just come out with a maintenance apprentice (position) and I applied. We did interviews and I got chosen, and they said they would send me to school.”
At 45, Tijerina, of Grand Prairie, was nervous about returning to school, but he said the experience of learning and improving himself has been rewarding.
Doug Vidler, an Advanced Manufacturing instructor, said Tijerina is among the top students in his class.
“He is one of the first students in the classroom as soon as the doors open, and is always ready to hit-the-ground running,” Vidler said. “He is constantly pushing himself to make the highest grade possible on every assignment and lab, and even goes out of his way to help out other students as well.”
At LATICRETE, a building material manufacturer and supplier, Tijerina is shadowing a senior maintenance technician, and the company counts his time at TSTC as work hours.
“I’m actually understanding what the maintenance guys are doing to get stuff running and how it’s working,” he said. “I love the job. Once I get my certificate, I’ll start at the bottom, and I’ll continue to learn more and move up in maintenance.”
Tijerina plans to earn his certificate of completion in May 2027. This will be his first college honor.
“A better life, better improvement and continued growth,” Tijerina said when asked what TSTC means to him. “I want to keep learning.”
The Advanced Manufacturing program offers an associate degree and a certificate of completion in Industrial Maintenance. These are offered at the Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, New Braunfels, North Texas, Sweetwater, Waco and Williamson County campuses.
Registration for the fall semester at TSTC is underway. For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.