Industry Job Fair brings TSTC students, alumni, employers together

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College students and alumni had the chance to visit with representatives from more than 80 companies from around Texas during the Industry Job Fair held at the Abilene campus’ Industrial Technology Center on Thursday, April 13.

Students submitted resumes, networked, and discussed what they have learned while attending TSTC.

“I had one employer tell me that this was the best job fair he has ever attended, and it had not even started,” said Brittany Wilson, the coordinator of Career Services for TSTC in West Texas. “The students looked professional and were ready to talk about their future livelihoods.”

Vocational Nursing student Destiny Adams said visiting different companies was what made the job fair successful.

“It is a great opportunity to see what is out there, especially from other fields,” she said. “It was overwhelming to see how many people are interested in TSTC students.”

Sally Miller, also a Vocational Nursing student, said it was a positive experience.

“I liked talking to many of the companies, like those involved in wind energy,” she said. “People were always willing to give you their time.”

Jesse Watts, a maintenance supervisor at Great Lakes Cheese Co. and a TSTC Industrial Systems graduate, returned to the Abilene campus to discuss career options with current students.

“It is very important for me to be here with Great Lakes Cheese to let the students know what job opportunities are out there,” he said. “TSTC taught me a lot about my career. It was good to see what is going on now.”

Opportunities outside of what he has already planned were something that Christian Gutierrez learned about during the event. Gutierrez, a Diesel Equipment Technology student, plans to work with his father in the family diesel business when he graduates later this year.

“I have learned about a lot of different paths I did not think about before,” he said. “I know a lot can change over time, and getting my name out there will help me consider jobs in the future.”

Dorian White, a Welding Technology student, said learning the details about job opportunities provided the most impact.

“The details of any job are important,” he said. “Knowing what is available will help me make a good decision.”

Company representatives wanted to provide attendees with information about their companies and make time available for them to interview for positions.

Stefon Chandler, with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, said it was important to provide students with as much information as possible.

“I am very impressed with the students TSTC has,” he said. “We strive to give them the best information to make the life-changing decision about a career.”

Larry Hillis, of Ludlum Measurements, said the job fair was the perfect place to meet future employees. The Sweetwater company has several TSTC graduates working at its many facilities.

“We are here because we know TSTC has the best graduates for electronics, machinery and welding,” he said. “We try to recruit those students to come and work for us.”

Cesar Guerrero, with Texas Disposal Systems, agreed that TSTC has the most hirable graduates.

“They are a perfect fit for our company,” he said. “We look to hire TSTC graduates for many of our positions around the state.”

Angel Arrazola, with Envoy Air, said he would not miss the event because he knows what type of employees the company will get with TSTC Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology graduates.

“This is in our backyard, and I know what TSTC has to offer,” he said. “We have an airframe and powerplant program in the Abilene area. We also like to visit Waco because of the pilot training program. We could not be any happier with being here to meet future employees.”

Jason Rogers, with Xcel Energy, was visiting the event to get more information and was quickly sold on signing up for future job fairs at TSTC.

“We did not realize TSTC hosted a job fair for its students,” he said. “This a great opportunity for our company to meet the students we know can be a contributor in the future.”

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.