TSTC-Waco Prepares Students for the Working World Texas State Technical College-Waco offers skilled instruction and a family feel for students of all ages and abilities Founded in 1965, TSTC-Waco’s welding program is part of the Texas State Technical College system. Located on the outskirts of Waco, which lies halfway between Austin and Dallas, Tex., the school’s welding program offers programming for a wide range of students, who can pursue a certificate of completion in combination welding, or an associate’s degree in welding technology, both of which can be followed by a certificate in advanced pipe welding. One of the program’s claims to fame is Justin Friend, the welder featured in the January 2015 issue of the Wall Street Journal. Friend graduated from TSTC-Waco’s two-year degree program, and, according to James R. Hagerty at the WSJ, made $130,000 in his first full year of employment after the program. While these are phenomenal results, Friend’s meteoric rise should be taken as an exception, rather than the rule, a TSTC-Waco spokesperson said. It may not result in a six-figure income your first year of work after graduation, but the program can teach you the skills and work ethic you need to succeed. Program Content Going into the first semester, students decide whether to take the certificate or the associate degree track. Students in both programs begin with the same courses, and differentiate in the third and fourth semesters. Welding students begin their first semester taking four courses: Introduction to Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Introduction to Multi-process Welding (gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and flux core arc welding (FCAW)), Introduction to Blueprint Reading, and Tech Success. Students from both the certificate and the degree tracks are invited to take the Advanced Pipe Welding Certificate if they graduate with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Depending on the path a student chooses, the program covers various levels of training in oxyacetylene cutting (OAC), carbon arc cutting (CAC), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), GMAW, SMAW, FCAW, brazing, metallurgy, pipe welding, welding automation, and robotics, all of which prepare students to work as structural or pipeline welders. TSTC–Waco’s welding program emphasizes the development of hands-on welding, layout, and fitting skills. The aim is to provide students with a better understanding of how welding processes work and why certain processes are used. The lab features 180 ventilated arc welding stations and 20 oxyacetylene stations. Class Environment The welding program keeps its classes small, so that students receive personal attention as they learn. The program divides its 380 students into laboratory classes of 20 and theory lectures of 80 so the college can offer close laboratory instruction and provide comprehensive knowledge in the most efficient manner possible — Fig. 1. Peggy Pliant is a 42-year-old mother of 19-year-old triplets, one of whom, Cody, is a current TSTC student as well. Pliant has been welding on her ranch for years, and decided to join the TSTC-Waco program after she took an interest in her son’s coursework. She said she tutors her son on the schoolwork and he helps her with the welding. Pliant said the class structure gave her a lot of one-on-one time with instructors. She has a learning disability, and the instructors made her feel safe 84 WELDING JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2015 LEARNING TRACK BY ANNIK BABINSKI THE AMERICAN WELDER Fig. 1 — Jose Melendez, department chair, seen teaching a theory class.
Welding Journal | December 2015
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