TSTC students, alumni impress potential employers at Industry Job Fair

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College recently held its annual Industry Job Fair at the Harlingen campus, where more than 400 TSTC students and alumni utilized their networking skills and handed out resumes to representatives from some 68 companies.

“The job fair helps elevate that partnership that TSTC and our business and industry partners have established for our students,” said Kelly Guajardo, a TSTC Career Services representative. “Our students get to learn more about each company beyond an employer spotlight and which one best fits their needs.”

Guajardo said the event’s success was a team effort.

“Witnessing students and alumni convey their professionalism, skills and qualifications to business and industry partners shows that our effort worked,” she said. “They are ready to work, and these companies are ready to hire them.”

Rudy Partida, an office manager and human resources representative for Cintas in Harlingen, said the company has a need to hire maintenance and electrical technicians.

“Cintas is an industrial laundry company,” he said. “We do have a lot of machinery that sometimes is not working properly, and it has to be repaired. Our company is looking for candidates who have an industrial training background.”

Justin Morris, a systems engineering leader for Johnson Controls in San Antonio, said the event had a large turnout.

“We’ve met with many welding students who have demonstrated an interest in our company,” he said. “Our company is unique for potential candidates because it is the largest HVAC control company, and one of the largest HVAC companies in the world. We have a large product line and footprint.”

Michael Cooley, of Harlingen, is studying for an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity. He said the job fair was exciting.

“Some of the employers who caught my interest were Emerson and Samsung Austin Semiconductor,” he said. “The representative from Emerson articulated information about working with end devices and software. It intrigued me because I love working with computers.”

Olivia Montalvo, of Harlingen, is studying for an Associate of Applied Science degree in Aircraft Powerplant Technology. She turned in a job application to Envoy Air.

“I feel their company is a great place to start a new career,” she said. “I had questions about job benefits and how they take care of their employees.”

Registration for TSTC’s spring semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.