ABILENE Texas State Technical College’s Industry Job Fair is a time for current students to connect with employers.
For two employers, it was time for them to give back to TSTC. Aaron Chavarria and Xavier Gomez, both 2016 TSTC graduates, spent Tuesday, Oct. 8, talking to current students about employment opportunities. Chavarria graduated from Wind Energy Technology, while Gomez graduated from Welding Technology.
“This was inspiring and eye-opening,” Chavarria, a regional wind site manager for NextEra Energy, said in a news release. “It motivates me to give my time talking to students who are working to begin the next chapter of their lives.”
Gomez, a supervisor at Prime Metal Buildings and Components, said visiting current students allows him to do something unique.
“I am able to tell them the different perspectives of the job and what to expect in the shop,” he said in the release.
Both men said TSTC continues to provide their companies with quality employees.
“TSTC has come a long way with the students,” Gomez said. “They prepare students for a job from day one.”
Chavarria said the job fairs have grown since he first attended one as a student.
“There is more visibility to what is available to students after graduation,” he said. “You can see what path you want to take and make the best decision for your life.”
Erin Wilhite, TSTC’s manager of employer relations for West Texas, said having alumni return to the college as recruiters at the job fair gives students confidence that they will be able to find employment.
“I think for the current students, they are able to see the real opportunities available to them with the skill sets they learn,” she said. “The alumni enjoy coming back as a way to give back to the college they graduated from. They always comment about how much TSTC has grown.”
Representatives from more than 60 industries, from the aviation to medical fields, attended the fall event at the Industrial Technology Center in Abilene. Many current students presented resumes to recruiters and set up job interviews.
Applications for TSTC’s spring semester are being accepted. Spring registration begins Oct. 28. To learn more, visit tstc.edu.
