Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – South Texas College Advanced Manufacturing Technology recently hosted its 2024 Manufacturing Career Expo that gives students the opportunity to connect with representatives from local, national and international manufacturers offering potential hiring opportunities in the industry.
More than 12 companies and 120 students attended this year’s event, which for more than a decade has been connecting students with top employers.
“One of the most important things I can say to students is to just stay focused on completing this semester and move on to the next one, keep going but take the time to really explore what their future looks like,” Sara Lozano, STC dean of Business, Public Safety and Technology. “And to those companies and organizations who attended the event this year, I am always so appreciative of the time they invested in our students. The more we expose our students to these organizations, the more they talk about it and gain interest and the more it will benefit our industry partners.”
Created over a decade ago, STC’s Manufacturing Expo has long been the college’s signature event that consists of speakers in manufacturing, networking events, recruitment and hiring opportunities, as well as a manufacturers showcase for students.
“Through this event, we want to make sure the students understand they are graduating into a high demand field, and while they may start off in an entry-level job, there are so many opportunities to move up and so many options to further their careers,” said Erika Guerra, STC Advanced Manufacturing Technology program chair. “For our students who will be graduating, I hope this event is that critical push and motivation to start their careers; and for those students who still have some time before graduation, we hope they have used this opportunity to network and understand what it means to be a professional by reaching out and talking to the companies that are here.”
The number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. stands at about 13 million as of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. manufacturers account for 10.70% of the economy’s total output, more than $2,496.8 billion and employs 8.41% of country’s total workforce, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
Employers at the expo said the partnership with STC provides a crucial connection for employers and students.
“To succeed, students have to be disciplined and concentrate on what they do. They have to aim for the best and never give up,” said Jonatan Martinez, maintenance manager with Coca- Cola Southwest Beverages, who was a keynote speaker at the event. “I can say that in our business we need support from those students who specialize in mechatronics but they also need to have critical-thinking skills so they can solve problems that arise. It’s an exciting field with new technologies that are always coming up in our industry.”
STC Precision Technology graduate Hugo Hernandez said he is currently employed as Computer Numeric Control (CNC) operator and programmer with Legacy Precision, a McAllen-based company specializing in machining, automation programming and design of everything from production line tooling to production run parts.
“STC has so much to offer, and everything I learned here in the program has helped me on the job,” Hernandez said. “I was here at the Expo as a student sitting in the audience not more than a year ago, and looking back I can say that all the extra time I put into my classes and my work has helped me solve problems at work when they come up. Now that I am working in the field, I can tell the students here that they need to take advantage of all the resources the college has, so the more time you spend building your skills here, the better you will be as an employee.”
For more information on STC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program, visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/manufacturing/#Mech-Cert.
