Texas Border Business
By Sara Reyna
South Texas College (STC) recently celebrated the grand opening of its newly expanded technical facilities at the Mid-Valley Workforce Center, marking a significant milestone for the college’s commitment to providing top-notch and advanced spaces to enhance the Welding, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Automotive programs.
“As an institution, we work diligently to identify the industries with significant need within the region, then we add or enhance to our programming,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. “We are witnessing a remarkable 47% increased space at our Mid-Valley campus with this new expansion. With these renovations, our students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities that allows them to complete their programs more effectively as highly-skilled, qualified professionals ready for the workforce, and it gives STC the opportunity to continue meeting the industry demands of our region.”
In response to industry and student enrollment demands in the Mid-Valley region, the Workforce Center building now boasts a fully renovated and expanded welding lab that will house over 40 newly updated welding booths with natural ventilation and exhaust systems at each station.
Mercedes native and welding student Erasmo January shared his excitement about the transformative changes unfolding at the campus where his journey began.
“I got my start at the Mid-Valley campus taking a few welding courses,” the 19-year-old shared. “However, due to the limited spaces in the lab at Mid-Valley, we began carpooling to the Technology campus to continue our degrees, and we built instant friendships. Looking back at where my journey started, it’s impressive and exciting to see the advancements in technology, equipment and space happening at the campus because there’s a new generation of students from the east side of the Rio Grande Valley who will be positively impacted by this project.”
Darrell Mobley, who has taught welding at STC for over 16 years, emphasized how the expansions will impact the number of courses that can now be offered at the Mid-Valley campus.
“It has been humbling to be a part of this milestone. We are now able to offer significantly more sections of our welding courses at Mid-Valley, which will be a game changer for students in the area,” Mobley explained. “We are now better equipped to serve the hundreds of students who will be utilizing these brand-new labs. We’re seeing an increase in class offerings from being able to host 10 to 12 sections of welding courses to at least 20. Our department and division have helped grow this program tremendously and we are excited and ready to see these stalls filled with students on the first day of class.”
Additionally, the HVAC lab was expanded by 2,000 square feet and will offer a brand-new indoor lab and covered exterior spaces designed for students to practice their techniques.
Also, for the first time, the Weslaco campus will now feature a dedicated automotive structure that will be adjacent to the Workforce Center. This new facility will feature three bays and lifts for vehicles and is equipped with the latest mechanical equipment and technology like alignment machines, a tire balancer and changer, HVAC recycling machines and an on-car brake lathe.
Mid-Valley Campus Administrator Daniel Montez said these new developments were essential to enhancing the overall learning experience for students in the Welding, HVAC and Automotive programs.
“As you look at enrollment, we’ve seen very healthy and steady growth for these programs,” Montez shared. “We’ve also seen that we’re serving students across the entire Rio Grande Valley, including from Cameron and Willacy counties. It was crucial that we triple the capacity of our Workforce Center so that we can offer students fully-equipped labs to enhance their learning experience.”
Affirming the college’s promise to student success, STC’s Welding, Automotive and HVAC programs will now be able to offer all the courses necessary for students to fulfill the requirements of their respective certificates or degrees at STC’s Mid-Valley campus.
“These are hands-on skills that are highly sought out by students and employers. We are an institution that fosters highly marketable graduates who will be ready for employment,” Montez said. “This ribbon cutting is not just a celebration of students who will be learning versatile technical skills, it’s a door to opportunities so that from here on out, students can continue pursuing their education to higher levels, no matter what their goals are, here at STC.”
Registration for fall classes is ongoing right now. For more information, go online at https://www.southtexascollege.edu/register/