WACO, Texas (KXXV) — High school students from four Central Texas school districts visited Texas State Technical College's Waco campus Friday to explore career opportunities in electrical power and controls.
Students from La Grange, Lorena, Robinson and West school districts met with faculty members to learn about electrical design, lockout/tagout procedures, power distribution, programmable logic controllers and safety protocols. The visit also included information about job market prospects for graduates of the Electrical Power and Controls program.
Ryan Delgado, a program instructor, demonstrated circuit breakers and explained amperage and voltage concepts to the visiting students.
"Part of it is flashing lights and sensors and movement," Delgado said. "I think that really gets people excited. These devices are what save our systems."
Steven Hugghins, another program instructor, said the smaller group format allows faculty to connect with students on a more personal level without being rushed.
Claudia McGlothen, a counselor at West High School, brought 10 seniors to the event. She said high school staff begin working with students during their junior year to help them consider post-graduation options.
McGlothen said she hoped the TSTC visit would help students see additional career possibilities beyond traditional four-year college paths.
There were 12 juniors and seniors from Robinson High School that traveled to the campus. Joi Jenkins, the high school's administrator of college, career and military readiness, said her goal was to help students think more about their postsecondary plans. She plans to conduct a post-trip discussion with students to gauge their thoughts on the program and TSTC.
"TSTC is great because it is local," Jenkins said.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls at the Abilene, Fort Bend County, North Texas and Waco campuses.
For more information on TSTC, click here.
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