Eight students at Texas State Technical College’s Brownwood campus are adding a specialized pipe welding certificate to their training as they prepare for careers in industries that depend on skilled pipe workers.
The students had already earned welding certificates before returning to the lab for an additional semester focused on pipe welding. The program includes introductory, intermediate and advanced pipe welding, and students are expected to receive their certificates during commencement later this year.
A program built for regional industry
Stephen Hope, the program team lead for welding programs at TSTC’s Breckenridge and Brownwood campuses, said the program fits the region’s industrial needs. Pipe welders can work on new pipelines and existing lines, while power plants, refineries and other industrial companies also rely on pipe-related skills.
“We are in the heart of pipe welding country, whether its new pipelines or maintaining current lines,” Hope said.
Hope also pointed to power plants, including hydro and nuclear facilities, as employers that regularly need pipe work. Refineries use piping to transport materials, and industrial companies employ boilermakers whose work heavily involves pipe.
The training can also apply closer to home. Farmers and ranchers may need pipe work for projects such as a new pipe entrance, Hope said. He described the advanced certification as preparation for students to pursue a range of career goals.
“The advanced pipe certification equips students with the knowledge to accomplish whatever career goals they set,” Hope said.
Inaugural students pursue different paths
Salvador Marquez, a Brownwood welding instructor, invited students including Dakota Jones of Bangs to join the inaugural cohort. Jones said she wanted to continue her education and learn more about an industry she sees as strong in the area.
“I was excited to further my education,” Jones said. “I wanted to know more about the pipe welding industry because it is so strong in this area.”
Levi Cuellar of Gatesville said the second certification could support his goal of becoming a boilermaker.
“I would like to work as a boilermaker, and I know they make good money,” he said.
Employers join Brownwood launch event
TSTC and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce marked the program’s launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 22. Representatives from TSTC industry partners Prime Buildings and Components and Solaris Energy Infrastructure attended the event.
Ryan Eppers, a recruiter for Prime, said the certificate gives students another employment tool. Casey Carnes, a manufacturing manager at Solaris and a TSTC alumnus, said having the program in Brownwood could help his company recruit for future projects beyond the oil and gas industry.
“This is an additional tool for the students to have,” Eppers said.
“This will help us recruit key talent for our future projects as we grow outside of the oil and gas fields,” Carnes said.
More information about the program is available at tstc.edu/programs/weldingtechnology.