TSTC, Rio Grande Valley industries poised to shape future workforce

(HARLINGEN, Texas) - The babies of today are tomorrow's Rio Grande Valley workers.

The Rio Grande Valley is projected to have more than 1.4 million residents by 2040, according to the Texas Demographic Center . In 2040, Hidalgo County is expected to have the largest population in the four-county region with more than 971,000 residents. Cameron County is projected to have more than 422,000 residents, while Starr County is expected to grow to more than 71,000 residents. Willacy County's population is projected to drop to more than 17,000 residents.

"The Valley is in a good position," said Daniel Silva, president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Partnership in Weslaco. "It is progressing at a faster clip than it has over the last 10 years."

Silva said the RGV Partnership uses Site To Do Business, an online tool for market data, population growth and other forward-looking information. Census data and research from area workforce boards are also used for projection purposes.

Orlando Campos, CEO of the Harlingen Economic Development Corp., considers the Valley an untapped area for trainable workers. He said when companies are recruited to the city, representatives often ask about finding a workforce that is willing to learn.

"We just have to look out the window and say, 'There it is,'" Campos said.

Campos said Texas State Technical College is an important partner in economic development and workforce training efforts. Some of the kinds of companies the Harlingen EDC works to attract include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biotech, distribution, and suppliers for maquiladoras.

"Workforce training and economic development will continue to be one of the issues that needs to be worked on," Campos said.

Some of TSTC's programs that Campos said will be beneficial for students to pursue in the years to come are Building Construction Technology, Mechatronics Technology and Wind Energy Technology. He said Computer Networking and Systems Administration, as well as Cybersecurity, will also be important for children to consider as career pathways when they are old enough.

"Parents can cultivate interests with their kids," Campos said. "The younger generation needs to learn soft skills. TSTC's Career Services department helps with this with mock interviews and resume writing."

Rick Vargas, TSTC's statewide director of alignment for Building Construction Technology, said the program offers a variety of career possibilities for graduates. TSTC's Harlingen campus awarded more than 160 certificates of completion and associate degrees to graduates from summer 2014 to summer 2024, according to TSTC's Business Analytics and Reporting department.

"If a student wants to work with their hands, they have that ability to work out in the field as a wall or roof framer, concrete worker, mason, drywall installer, plasterer, and many others," he said. "Some students prefer the leadership or office aspect where they can be estimators, foremen, superintendents or project managers. Construction is definitely not an industry that becomes repetitive or boring."

Vargas said growth in the region's construction industry means that graduates can have higher earnings than in the past. He said students can decide more often whether to stay and work locally or join a company that enables them to travel and still live in the Rio Grande Valley.

TSTC's Harlingen campus is home to Mechatronics Technology, which blends electronics, mechanics, programming and smart manufacturing in a curriculum that keeps up with the latest technology. The program awarded more than 170 associate degrees to graduates from summer 2014 to summer 2024, according to TSTC's Business Analytics and Reporting department.

"Companies across the state take an early approach by continuously participating in recruiting events at the Harlingen campus, many of them targeting mechatronics students," said Juan Alferez, TSTC's statewide director of alignment for automation. "Most of the mechatronics graduates are recruited and offered high-paying careers before their graduation dates. However, we do have some students who prefer to stay home and select a job in the Valley."

Silva said HVAC Technology and Welding Technology, programs that TSTC's Harlingen campus offers, will also be crucial to the future workforce.

"I think we need to figure out how to get these students as versatile and well-rounded as possible," Silva said. "Internships are huge. We need to get the schools to push them in the most productive way. We need to make sure we get it right in the junior high and high school levels."

Campos and Silva said they are excited about the Valley's emerging industries, including liquified natural gas at the Port of Brownsville and aeronautics at SpaceX at Boca Chica Beach. Silva said second- and third-tier suppliers for existing and new companies will also be a source for skilled jobs. Companies will have to work to continue being resourceful in attracting the best people the Rio Grande Valley has to offer.

"I really think (by) word of mouth … vocational work is going to be talked about a lot because there are so many jobs being filled by our local people," Silva said. "I think with our culture there is still a lot of supporting each other and also following each other."

Mario Muller, of Harlingen, is a recent graduate of the Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology programs at TSTC's Harlingen campus. The Los Fresnos native said he often thinks about the future for his 2-year-old son, Ezra.

"I want to make sure my son becomes well-rounded," Muller said. "I do not want him to become zeroed in on one thing. The best thing you can do in raising a child is giving them a skill set that is not replaceable by a machine."

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

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