TSTC’s diesel program gives students the hands-on drive they need to succeed

(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program is seeing its biggest session yet this semester on the Fort Bend County campus.

Nearly 50 new students have started their technical training, learning in a hybrid format of online learning and hands-on training.

“They can experience more and have more growth in the shop,” TSTC instructor Jake Moyer said. “A lot of them enjoy how hands-on it is. They get their hands on the engines, transmissions — they’re touching everything.”

The shop teemed with activity this week with students at different steps of their TSTC journey. Some labeled their tool boxes while others worked in groups to reassemble engines they had previously taken apart.

“If you’re going to come here, you’re going to have to dive in headfirst,” Moyer said. “Don’t be scared to get dirty. The first time you walk in here, it’s going to be overwhelming, but we’re going to walk you through everything.”

TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Diesel Equipment Technology-Heavy Truck Specialization and two Diesel Equipment Technology-Heavy Truck certificates of completion.

The Diesel Equipment Technology program is a part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which promises to pay back graduates’ tuition if they do not find a job in six months after getting their degree.

It shows how high the demand is for diesel equipment professionals — and how sure TSTC is of its graduates landing those good, high-paying careers.

“Opportunities are available,” Moyer said, adding how students become familiar with components and processes that can be applied across different fields. “Everything’s going to be familiar to them. They’ll have touched everything on those trucks.”

Diesel engine specialists can make an average salary of $49,810 per year in Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Onetonline.org forecasts a 14% growth of such jobs in the state through 2028.

Texas employs the highest number of diesel engine specialists, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area has the fourth-highest number of such workers — behind the New York, Chicago and Dallas areas.

To be successful in TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program, students must apply themselves, Moyer recommended.

“You have to be a self-starter,” he said. “A huge portion of the classwork is having that drive.”

Learn more about TSTC at tstc.edu.