Community Partners Team Up for Training Center Project

by Daniel Perry, Communication Specialist, Communication & Creative Services, Texas State Technical College

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and The TSTC Foundation, along with McLennan County, the City of Waco, and the Waco Industrial Foundation, are partnering to create the Central Texas Industrial Training Center to produce workers needed for technical fields.

“Economic development is a team sport,” said Waco City Manager Bradley Ford. “We need local government, businesses, and education partners to work together to be fully successful. The experience we have in this project proves being collaborative brings people closer together to solve problems that we could not solve on our own.”

The training center, which will be operated and owned by TSTC, is expected to open in 2024. The building is estimated to be about 25,000 square feet, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.

“The facility will play a critical part in ensuring a strong, skilled workforce in McLennan County for not only the existing industrial facilities in the county now, but also for the companies that we will be attracting in the future,” said McLennan County Judge Scott Felton.

The Industrial Training Center will be built in Texas Central Park, a masterplanned industrial area at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Texas Highway 6 in south Waco. The land on which the training center will be constructed is part of a land swap being made with the Waco Industrial Foundation.

People attending the training center will take courses in TSTC’s Electrical Construction, Industrial Systems, HVAC Technology, Robotics and Industrial Controls Technology, and Welding Technology programs. Students can work toward the college’s occupational skills achievement awards and level one certificates of completion. Specific workforce training programs can also be tailored to the needs of industry.

“We hope to have a mix of unemployed or underemployed local folks that are gaining the technical skills to fill the gap that those employers desperately need,” said Rob Wolaver, TSTC’s associate vice chancellor of student learning. “Mixed in with that are incumbent workers at those plants that need advanced training and, on top of that, groups of dual credit students from local high schools who would be enrolled there and be ready to work for those employers when they graduate.”

An estimated 1,000 academic credentials could be offered yearly, once the training center is fully operational.

“The center signals to the world that the Waco region is investing in its future, giving confidence to new companies seeking to invest along the Interstate 35 corridor,” Ford said.

He said the last few years have been the busiest in Greater Waco’s history, with new investments, the addition of thousands of jobs, and expansion of existing businesses.

“The pipeline for new projects remains full, and we anticipate that with a continued commitment to economic development, we can continue the positive economic climate for years to come,” he said.

Felton said there is a strong demand for available industrial properties in all of the county, which means more opportunities for residents.

“We believe this is due in part to reasonably priced properties with reasonable tax burdens, access to multiple options in transportation, and a well-trained workforce,” he said.

The City of Waco will contribute $12.4 million to The TSTC Foundation for the project to be paid out in installments over a 20-year period once the building is completed, according to the Waco TribuneHerald. McLennan County will use $8.4 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funding for its contribution, according to the newspaper.

“The city and county do not see this center as an expense; rather, it is an investment in the people of this region and our future economic success,” Ford said.