Businesses, students benefit from TSTC’s Industry Job Fair

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College students found that the need for employees is high across the state during the college’s Industry Job Fair on Tuesday, April 5.

Representatives from around 60 companies provided information on job opportunities, employment benefits and possible interviews at TSTC’s Industrial Technology Center in Abilene. More than 170 TSTC students from the West Texas campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater attended the event.

“We were able to open the job fair to all four West Texas campuses this year,” said Julia Humphrey, director of career services in West Texas. “I like having it in a central location, and we had a good mix of programs and businesses.”

Humphrey could tell that students were ready for the event by the way they presented themselves and asked questions.

“It was good to see everyone prepared for the event,” she said. “I think we have started a good trend of having our fair in Abilene. It was the first time we were able to showcase our facility to our business partners.”

George Werner, with Roberts Truck Center, saw how well students were prepared and left the event with 17 potential hires.

“I was really impressed with the students and how they presented themselves,” said Werner, who graduated from TSTC. “Everybody was professional. Some of the younger guys are willing to travel, and others want to stay close to home. Knowing people are willing to travel for work is a great opportunity for them and for us as a business.”

John Sherman, with Altec, said it was one of the best recruiting days for his company. Altec provides products and services to the electric utility, telecommunications, tree care, lights and signs, and contractor markets. 

“This was the best day of recruiting I have had in a while,” he said. “I met exactly the right type of students we need to work for our company.”

One job market that is always in need is the medical field. Representatives from area hospitals traveled to Abilene to showcase their opportunities to future nurses and emergency medical technicians.

“We had some promising visits from the nursing program,” said Belinda Kerr, with Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder.

Mitchell County Hospital’s Callan Lee was surprised that some of the nursing students indicated an interest in one area in particular.

“I saw a lot of nursing students show interest in working in the prison units in Colorado City,” she said. “That is one area that I was proud to promote.”

TSTC students were impressed with the opportunities available to them.

“There are a lot of companies out there that are hiring that you do not think about,” said Sammi Stephens, a student in Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance.

Welding Technology student Tatum McFarland was thankful that company representatives were able to answer different questions.

“They were helpful by giving us information on the benefits they offer and other valuable information we may not think about,” she said.

Automotive Technology students first visited the Arrow Ford booth before venturing to other areas.

One of the students, Jamand Clark, said, “A couple of the businesses stick out, and it shows that there are more than enough jobs out there.”

Another Automotive Technology student, Tate Potter, summed up the event for most students.

“It was a good opportunity for us to see what is available for us after graduation,” he said.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.