Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
November is National Apprenticeship Month and to commemorate it, South Texas College, as a national leader in apprenticeships, recently hosted its 5th annual Workforce Summit, gathering hundreds of local and statewide workforce development leaders for a morning of speakers, a panel discussion and a check presentation from D. Wilson Construction.
Apprenticeships are an earn-as-you-learn model that gives students hands-on experience and chance to train directly with industry professionals and leaders as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Through STC’s Center for Advanced Learning and Apprenticeships (CATA), the college currently offers more 20 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, including the nation’s first Registered Nursing Apprenticeship, with several others under development.
STC is the largest registered apprenticeship sponsor in South Texas. All apprenticeship programs at STC are registered through the Department of Labor.
“Every year our Workforce Summit gets bigger and better. I love to see everyone come together. This signifies that a higher education is valued and that we are all working toward one mission – helping students gain the skills they need to earn gainful employment and growing our regional and state’s workforce,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. “The key to the future is uniting and creating an education with clear, direct pathway to jobs. STC does this; this is what makes us different. We create a type of synergy that when a student comes to STC, they have a pathway that links them with a career-focused outcome.”
This year’s summit focused on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in workforce education and economic development, which also guided the presentation covered by keynote speaker Aaron Demerson, chief executive officer (CEO) and president of the Texas Economic Development Cooperation.
“The secret sauce of Texas is bringing together workforce, economic development and education, and this summit brings all of these sectors together,” said Demerson. “STC is leading the charge in apprenticeships and AI, ensuring that we are all making a difference together in big, big ways. It is these collaborations that ensure that Texas continues to grow and lead in innovative technology.”
Demerson added that Texas, in the last few years, has added 2.5 million jobs and is a top state for growth in tech jobs, with the second-largest semiconductor workforce and for small business growth.
Many of these sectors rely on highly trained, highly skilled apprentices and professionals like those produced by STC.
According to a Lightcast Economic Impact Study, STC’s total annual impact in added income is $693.5 million, supporting many jobs including health care and social assistance, retail trade, construction, among others, meaning that 1 out of 40 jobs in Hidalgo and Starr Counties is supported by the activities of STC and its students.
Carlos Margo, Ph.D., said that through 66 employer partners, more than 700 apprentices have already been trained through STC CATA. With the most widely known registered apprenticeships being nursing and construction superintendent.
“Not only was STC the first in the nation to introduce a registered nurse apprenticeship, but we were also the first in the nation to create a construction superintendent program,” he said. “Contractors came to us with the need for more leadership and management training programs as apprentices, so we got together, and this is a perfect example of what collaboration can create. Our priority is to be responsive to industry needs, so if it doesn’t exist, we create it. All this provides jobs, wage increases and improves region vitality.”
With the understanding of this impact, D. Wilson Construction took its proceeds from its most recent fishing tournament and turned it into a $50,000 donation that was presented to STC CATA during the summit, to be used in areas such as training scholarships for the construction trades and a new National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certifications.
“We appreciate the investment that STC has made in these programs,” said CEO of D. Wilson Construction Josue Reyes. “We are looking at a generational shift to invest in trades, and our industry is in dire needs of skilled people. The partnership we have with STC is invaluable as we continue to bring in training to upskill, but to also welcome new people in the industry. We’ll be doing more in the future to continue this momentum.”
The half-day summit also included panel discussions in AI in Action: Transforming Industry Workforce Development and an overview of STC workforce programs that integrate AI.
Anahid Petrosian, STC vice president and provost for Academic Affairs and Economic Development, also used this event to introduce a new course STC will offer beginning January 20, 2026 – Essentials of AI.
“We are continually doing things that can benefit the residents of our region. This community course, offered by our very own AI expert faculty, will teach essential AI skills, ethical practices and societal impacts, so we all have a better understanding of the technology that is ever evolving,” said Petrosian. “At STC, we take a proactive approach to our teaching and training. This keeps our learning experiences unique and our students and graduates competitive.”
For more information on STC’s CATA or AI offerings, visit southtexascollege.edu.
Information source: STC
