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(ABILENE, Texas) – Students returned to Texas State Technical College’s West Texas campuses this week to find some new facilities and programs waiting for them. At the Abilene campus, the Power and Mechanical Center opened its doors to four programs: Diesel Equipment, Electrical Lineworker and Management, HVAC, and Plumbing and Pipefitting. Students toured the nearly...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Two graduates of Texas State Technical College’s Sweetwater campus each recently received a TSTC Trailblazer Award. A lengthy nomination and interview process was held to select TSTC graduates who exemplify the college’s building blocks of accountability, excellence, integrity, and service. The awards are being given this year as part of the college’s...

(ABILENE, Texas) – More than 150 graduates received associate degrees and certificates of completion at Texas State Technical College’s Summer 2025 Commencement for the Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater campuses held Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Abilene Convention Center. Among those graduating was the first group of graduates receiving certificates of completion from the Electrical...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Shawn Couet, an Electromechanical Technology student at Texas State Technical College’s Sweetwater campus, received the silver medal in Electronics Technology at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held June 23-27 in Atlanta, Georgia. “It was amazing to see that he got second, but I wasn’t surprised,” said Toby Styron, an...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Excitement is building for the fall semester at Texas State Technical College’s Abilene and Sweetwater campuses. Three new technical programs will debut when the fall semester begins on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The Abilene campus will offer the Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology program, while the Sweetwater campus will offer new Building Construction Technology...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – “Construction touches everything.” That sentiment was shared by Scott Hughes, executive director of the West Texas chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, after learning that Texas State Technical College will launch its Building Construction program in Sweetwater this fall. Hughes said he is excited about the program’s potential to strengthen...

(ABILENE, Texas) – “Humbled.” That simple word from Greg Nicholas described his feelings after being named one of this year’s recipients of the Texas State Technical College Chancellor’s Cornerstone Award. Nicholas is the program team lead for the Welding Technology programs in Abilene and Sweetwater, as well as the Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance program...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Job interviews can be among the most stressful experiences for college graduates preparing to enter the workforce, but Texas State Technical College aims to ease that anxiety through its Interview Practicums. Each semester, TSTC’s Career Services department organizes mock interviews, offering students the opportunity to sharpen their professional soft skills. TSTC employees...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College will begin offering evening classes in the Electrical Power and Controls program this fall in response to the growing demand from working adults and nontraditional students. Two evening courses — Fundamentals of Electricity I and Introduction to Electrical Safety and Tools — will be taught by Kevin Staton....

(ABILENE, Texas) – While construction continues on Texas State Technical College’s Power and Mechanical Center in Abilene, the people who will lead the new programs are preparing themselves to train the next wave of the state’s workforce. Alex DeLaGarza will be one of the instructors of the Diesel Equipment Technology program at the Abilene campus....

(ABILENE, Texas) – In response to growing demand in Texas’ construction sector, Texas State Technical College is expanding its Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology program to its Abilene and Harlingen campuses beginning this fall. The expansion comes as Texas continues to see increased residential and commercial construction, creating strong demand for licensed plumbers and pipefitters. According...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Jacoby Jimmerson had a smile on his face during a recent ceremony. He joined his fellow Texas State Technical College LVN to RN Transition Nursing graduates at the pinning event to commemorate their completion of the program. Jimmerson said although he wished his mother could have seen his accomplishment in person, work...

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – Since his junior year at Breckenridge High School, Thomas Dittmar has been planning a career as a welder. “I knew then that I wanted to learn a trade,” the Texas State Technical College Welding Technology graduate said. Dittmar received a certificate of completion during last month’s commencement and plans to move to...

(ABILENE, Texas) – As heavy equipment and commercial trucks continue to move along the highways of West Texas, the need for skilled diesel technicians is accelerating. To help meet this demand, Texas State Technical College will expand its Diesel Equipment Technology program to its newest facility, the Power and Mechanical Center, currently under construction on...

(ABILENE, Texas) – With cheers and applause, friends, family and classmates celebrated the accomplishments of Texas State Technical College’s Spring 2025 graduating class on Wednesday, April 30. A majority of the students, when their name was announced, noted that they will begin their careers within the industry they studied.  One of those students is Tyler...

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Jared Baucom was excited to learn that he could go to college in his hometown. The Brownwood native and Winchell Volunteer Fire Department firefighter is in his first semester of the Emergency Medical Services – EMT program at Texas State Technical College’s Brownwood campus. “When I heard that classes were beginning again,...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Four Texas State Technical College students representing the West Texas campuses recently qualified for the upcoming 2025 SkillsUSA National Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference. One two-member team and two individuals won gold medals in their respective events at the SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference held in Corpus Christi earlier this...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Cole Ogle, a Web Design and Development student at Texas State Technical College, feels like he is on top of the world. Ogle recently received a $5,000 scholarship from the Advertising Education Foundation of Houston, and he completed an internship with the Astoria Media Group in Abilene. “I was honored to be...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Trey Halfmann is proud to be among a select group of Texas State Technical College students. Halfmann is one of the latest Metallica Scholar Initiative (MSI) scholarship recipients at the Sweetwater campus.  “It’s good to just know that the college and Metallica want to help me with my education,” the Automotive Technology...

(ABILENE, Texas) – More than 120 high school students, from as close as Abilene to as far away as California, signed a letter of intent to attend Texas State Technical College this fall. TSTC hosted the annual National CTE (career and technical education) Letter of Intent Signing Day on Thursday, April 10, at the Industrial...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – “I’m speechless.” That was the reaction of Madison Gomez, a Welding Technology student at Texas State Technical College, when she learned of receiving her scholarship through the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). “Being from a small town (Rotan in Fisher County), it is an honor,” she said. “And being a woman in this...

(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – Two Breckenridge High School seniors gained valuable welding experience at the recent 2025 SkillsUSA Texas Leadership and Skills Conference in Corpus Christi. Elijah Chisholm and Alex Franco are dual credit students in Texas State Technical College’s Welding Technology program at the Breckenridge campus. The high school students joined TSTC Welding Technology...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Case Harris’ journey to Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program started with a family-owned pickup truck. “We own an F-350 pickup called ‘The Beast,’” Harris said. “Our family has owned it since 1999, and it has been a pain.” Harris said someone from his family would start the diesel engine...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Chris Wilcox’s decision to attend Texas State Technical College was based on several factors. But one stood out above the rest. “I like the career placement opportunities TSTC can provide me,” the Welding Technology student said. Wilcox is studying for a certificate of completion and looking forward to learning the different welding...

  (BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Texas State Technical College students Josh Diaz and Stevie Ramirez will have one goal when they compete as a team at the 2025 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference April 2-5 in Corpus Christi. “We are going for the gold,” Ramirez, a Welding Technology student in Brownwood, said. “We are...

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Breckenridge campus will be represented by eight students at the 2025 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference April 2-5 in Corpus Christi. SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Three Texas State Technical College Wind Energy Technology students appreciate the support they received from a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. “I love Metallica and all they have done,” Logan Ham, of Sweetwater, said after learning he received a scholarship through the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI). Launched in 2019 by...

(ABILENE, Texas) – They picked up notepads, pens and stress relievers. But for more than 260 Texas State Technical College students, they left with something more important: industry contact information. Representatives from more than 60 industries, including digital transformation, health care, manufacturing, power and construction, technical services and transportation, attended the spring Industry Job Fair...

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Rudy Velasquez keeps his first welding project close by. The Texas State Technical College Welding Technology student uses that project to motivate himself. Before beginning the program in August, the Brownwood native had never picked up a welding torch. “The first couple of weeks were tough,” he said. “I dove in full...

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Did you know that Texas State Technical College educates students in both time zones of the state? Socorro Independent School District, the second-largest school district in El Paso, offers dual credit courses through TSTC’s Sweetwater campus. Several of the district’s automotive students recently toured the campus, and many applied to continue their...