(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – For eight students at Texas State Technical College’s Brownwood campus, earning a certificate in welding was only the first step. They are already back in the lab adding a second credential to their resumes: a certificate in pipe welding.
The pipe welding program requires an additional semester of hands-on lab work covering introductory, intermediate and advanced pipe welding. Students will receive their certificates during commencement later this year.
Offering pipe welding classes in West Texas is a natural fit for TSTC.
“We are in the heart of pipe welding country, whether its new pipelines or maintaining current lines,” said Stephen Hope, the program team lead for welding programs at TSTC’s Breckenridge and Brownwood campuses. “There are power plants — both hydro and nuclear — that always need pipe work.”
Hope noted that refineries across the state rely on piping for transport, while other industrial companies employ boilermakers who work extensively with pipe.
“Then you also have local farmers and ranchers who might need a new pipe entrance,” Hope said. “The advanced pipe certification equips students with the knowledge to accomplish whatever career goals they set.”
Salvador Marquez, a Brownwood welding instructor, invited students like Dakota Jones, of Bangs, to join the inaugural cohort.
“I was excited to further my education,” Jones said. “I wanted to know more about the pipe welding industry because it is so strong in this area.”
Levi Cuellar, of Gatesville, said adding the second certification will be beneficial in many ways.
“I would like to work as a boilermaker, and I know they make good money,” he said.
To celebrate the program’s launch, TSTC and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Joining the celebration were TSTC industry partners from Prime Buildings and Components and Solaris Energy Infrastructure.
“This is an additional tool for the students to have,” Ryan Eppers, a recruiter for Prime, said of the certificate program.
Casey Carnes, a manufacturing manager at Solaris and a TSTC alumnus, said having the certificate program available in Brownwood directly benefits his company.
“This will help us recruit key talent for our future projects as we grow outside of the oil and gas fields,” Carnes said.
For more information about the program, visit tstc.edu/programs/weldingtechnology.