As Demand For Skilled Workers Rises In Texas, Work-Based Educational Programs See a Resurgence

The rise of these programs partially stems from industries and jobs increasingly requiring specialized licenses or credentials, even if it’s not a college degree. For students, these programs are attractive because they allow them to get hands-on practice and, in some cases, paid work experience as they work toward a credential. This can be particularly beneficial for working adults or parents with less time and resources to seek a four-year degree, Bergson-Shilcock said.

Bachelor’s and more advanced degrees generally have a greater financial payoff, but people with two-year associate degrees and certificates in highly technical and in-demand fields, such as engineering technologies, can earn more than people with bachelor’s degrees in some lower-paying industries.

Texas has long invested in work-based education, but “that ramped up over the last couple of legislative sessions as the value of things like apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities became clear,” said Renzo Soto, a higher education policy adviser for Texas 2036, a nonprofit research organization.

Over the last decade, state lawmakers have largely emphasized career preparation in public schools and aligning school curriculum with college tracks and the workforce needs in each region of the state, Soto said.

During the regular legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed legislation to fund community colleges based on whether their students leave with a degree or credential that gets them a well-paying job or into a four-year institution. Right now, Texas State Technical College is the only Texas college that the state specifically funds based on the employment and earnings of its students and graduates, rather than based on the number of hours they are taught. The funding change is expected to go into effect in September.

Technical colleges and careers

In a room filled with rows of yellow robotic arms, students at TSTC’s Waco campus used computers to try to command the arms to read whether a black cutout in front of it was the right size and shape.

Manufacturers use such a process to ensure that the right bolt, screw or item is used to make a product. But this isn’t a factory. It’s a step toward high-paying jobs in manufacturing, production or warehouse operations.

More than two decades ago, Corey Mayo was a warehouse manager, earning about $9 an hour to support his wife and daughter.

“It just wasn’t cutting it for baby formula, diapers, food,” said Mayo, now 48.

So he enrolled at Texas State Technical College to study instrumentation and completed an associate degree in robotics. After more than a decade in the industry, traveling to manufacturing facilities to implement automated operations, he said he earned roughly $140,000 a year because of his ability to “fix anything in a short amount of time.”

“It’s because of everything that I learned here,” he said.

Now, as an instructor of robotics technology at TSTC, he’s helping other students enter a job that’s expected to grow by 12% in Texas while declining nationally.

And Mayo’s 23-year-old son, Dalton, is following in his footsteps and studying robotics technology. He too would like to enter a high-paying field.

Stories like theirs are not uncommon at the college, which hires instructors from its graduate pool and sees many families return to the college for its hands-on and fast-tracked programs. The 20-month-long program for an associate degree of applied science in robotics and industrial controls technology costs around $11,640, and a 16-month certificate costs $6,984, according to TSTC. The average wage for an electro-mechanic or robotics technician is about $50,630 in Texas and $60,570 in the U.S., according to federal data.

The college also offers programs for various job fields expected to continue growing, such as cybersecurity and aircraft pilot training.

The aircraft pilot training program is one of the college’s more expensive programs, but pilot pay is on the higher end with average salaries in Texas of more than $180,060 for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers and $108,120 for commercial pilots. Tuition and fees for an associate degree in the program are $11,160, but the flight fees bring up the total to an estimated $89,260. Jobs are expected to grow by 21% for commercial pilots and by 14% for airline pilots and engineers in Texas.

The college also hires some of its graduates to serve as certified flight instructors while they work toward the required hours and ratings needed to work as a pilot in other roles.

“I’m already making back money and I’m already paying off my loans,” said Elaine Polster, a 22-year-old recent graduate who is now a certified flight instructor for the college. “If I went to a four-year school, it would be two more years until I did that.”

Associate degrees in applied science, which have a focus on technical education, and certificates are also available at community colleges across the state and through private, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. Examples of other public colleges include Alamo Colleges, Blinn College, San Jacinto College and Dallas College. You can find private technical schools through the Texas Workforce Commission’s directory. Financial aid, scholarships or other help may also be available for associate degrees and qualifying certificates.

You can also read more in our guide to college programs and financial aid.

Apprenticeships

On a Tuesday morning in October, Nora Hernandez Mondragon practiced carefully placing patches on the chest, arms and legs of a classmate lying in a medical examination bed.

The patches, which connect to a tangle of 10 wires, require precise placement to record the heart’s electrical activity in an electrocardiogram, or EKG, to detect irregular heart rhythms and heart attacks.

It’s one of the many things she learned at the Austin Community College’s San Gabriel Campus in Leander over nine weeks. She also learned basic medical terminology and anatomy; how to check a patient’s blood pressure and vital signs; how to administer medicines, including through an injection; and how to draw blood — all without paying a dime.

“It’s the perfect situation,” said Hernandez Mondragon, a 34-year-old Austin resident who worked at a call center for Baylor Scott & White Health. “I get to go learn something and develop myself and still be making income for my family.”

That’s because Hernandez Mondragon and her five classmates are part of a Baylor Scott & White apprenticeship. Through the program, employees can take an accelerated course at ACC and get hands-on experience to become medical assistants.

“Me being a mom, I would love to go to school but I don’t have the time or the money,” said Hernandez Mondragon, who is raising four children.

After completing the course and 160 hours of work in a clinical setting, Hernandez Mondragon and her classmates will work as medical assistants at Baylor Scott & White Health’s local clinics or hospitals for at least two years. The new job also comes with a pay raise, Hernandez Mondragon said.

Though this program serves Baylor Scott & White employees specifically, it’s one of a number of apprenticeships at ACC and across Texas.

In apprenticeships, individuals get the opportunity to learn and work toward a career, similar to an internship. But apprenticeships are typically longer than internships, include paid work and provide individuals with specialized skills and credentials.

Apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship training programs can be offered by companies on their own, unions, trade associations, nonprofits and other organizations. Many apprenticeships focus on trades, but a number of programs are opening more opportunities in growing job fields like health care and tech.

Texans interested in an apprenticeship can look for one through a college, a local job center such as Workforce Solutions or the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, apprenticeship.gov.

Workforce training programs

“I’m locking the chair,” 22-year-old Sydney Hodge said as she practiced locking a wheelchair in place at the front of the classroom. Joe Tate, the class instructor, was sitting in the chair.

“Good. Remember, guys, communicate. The more communication, the better,” he told the handful of other students watching.

Then, Hodge helped Tate get out of the wheelchair, holding a gait belt around his upper waist and letting him place his hands on her shoulders for support as he slowly rose. The rest of the class clapped.

Hodge and her classmates were reviewing how to work as personal care attendants. Earlier that day, they discussed different types of bedpans and the organizations that support people with disabilities.

The class is part of the E4Texas program at the University of Texas at Austin. It prepares students for jobs as personal care attendants, child care workers or teaching assistants. The program is designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, but is also open to people without a disability.

The students also live on campus and get support from program staff to live independently and participate in the community, said Tate, E4’s program manager.

During the three-semester program, students take specialized classes at UT-Austin’s campus, audit other UT courses, volunteer and get work experience. Hodge and her classmate Ayala Montgomery, for example, have been helping care for elderly people as volunteers at AGE of Central Texas.

At the end, students receive a certificate of completion and can get job certifications, but they do not get college credits.

The program also teaches students to advocate for themselves and others. That’s one of the things that drew Montgomery.

“I also wanted to help people that actually struggle with disabilities, like to let them know that ‘you’re not alone, and there’s many people just like you that struggle with the same things day to day,’” said Montgomery, a 20-year-old from Dallas. “I wanted to leave an impact.”