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Local Workforce training turns out to be a huge success
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| Meet the “day crew.” Front row, Nickyle Jackson, Michael Barrera, Louis Phillips and Andrew Bonds. Back row; Edd Clark, TSTC Corporate College, Ashley Yezak, TSTC welding instructor, Susan Dixon, Workforce Solutions. |
WALLER COUNTY - On June 20th, ten young men started a free welding class at Orizon Industries.
Targeted at recent high school graduates, these young men were given the opportunity to start a new career and quickly gain skills to become full-time welders and welder helpers. Of the ten students, four are Waller High School graduates, one from Royal High School and the remaining trainees live in the Katy / Brookshire area.
The program was created in response to a need from Orizon Industries to hire welders. After several years of frustration and going through many candidates, Orizon President Curtis Jones was looking for a solution. “We have good paying jobs here, and can put a lot of people to work, but we have had difficulty filling the positions,” commented Mr. Jones. At one point Orizon was trying to fill fifty welder positions.
In response, the Waller County Economic Development Partnership began the process to find a training solution that would benefit both local businesses and the community. Meeting with several local employers, Vince Yokom, Executive Director of the WCEDP began working to solve the problem.
As a result of feedback at these meetings, the group visited the Ft. Bend Technical Center, located in Richmond, which is a satellite campus of Texas State Technical College (TSTC) of Waco. Those who attended the trip were impressed with the program. After not being able to find a local solution, they turned to TSTC to solve the problem.
After finding the training provider the next step was to find funding. To help with this the WCEDP turned to the Houston Galveston Area Council of Governments (HGAC) and The WorkSource, now Workfource Solutions, to find a way to finance the classes. Working together with HGAC, Workfource Solutions began the process to find dollars and qualified candidates. Heading this effort were Susan Dixon and Norma Bonica. Putting their years of experience to work, they were able to locate grants that could be used for the training and began qualifying the first class of students.
The project had an ambitious goal; get these students ready to go to work in a new, higher-paying career in just six days. Many of the trainees had never even seen or turned on a welding machine before the class. TSTC rose to the challenge and, when completed, all ten trainees were offered positions at Orizon. Two students, Fernando Hernandez of Royal High School and Alex Barrera of Waller High School passed their entry level welding test (known as a 1G) and were given new full-time jobs as welders. Two others were close. Mr. Jones commented “I was impressed that anyone was able to pass the first test. Even though only two passed, two others were very close and will be able to retest soon.”
The remaining trainees were also offered jobs as welder’s helpers with the opportunity to keep learning. Mr. Jones went on to comment “We have an apprentice program that will allow all these young men the opportunity to advance their skills. All these guys did a great job in the class and we wanted to reward their effort.” One of the workers at Orizon commented “These guys are doing great and this class is a real blessing. Every time I put my hood down, they put their hood down. They really want to learn.”
Ashley Yezak, the TSTC instructor was very satisfied with the results. “Given that most of these guys have never even turned on a welding machine speaks well of their desire to learn a new trade. I am very proud of them and appreciate the job Workfource Solutions did in qualifying the students. I had a good group to work with.” said Mr. Yezak. He continued, “We are refining the class after meeting with Orizon and feel we will get even more to pass that 1G test when we finish the next class.”
The students also expressed their appreciation for this opportunity. “We couldn’t have done it without this program. Thank you,” commended Michael Barrera. Nickyle Jackson of Prairie View said “Ashley is a great teacher.” Louis Phillips, a resident of the Katy – Brookshire area echoed those comments.
In a lunch conversation with WCEDP director Yokom, Fernando Hernandez expressed his gratitude while recalling his time at Royal High School hanging around the ag classes trying to watch and learn every chance he could.
Yokom commented; “In my four years as the director for the WCEDP nothing has given me more satisfaction as watching these guys go through this class. Knowing we have helped them start a new career and helped one of our major employers is very satisfying. I am looking forward to repeating the class and seeing even more young folks take advantage of this opportunity. I also want to thank Rodney Bradshaw at HGAC, Susan and Norma from Workfource Solutions, Edd Clark and Ashley Yezak from TSTC, and our board of directors. It was truly a great team effort.”
If you are a local employer and interested in learning more about how the WCEDP can help your company, visit www.wallercounty.org, or call 979-921-9059 Ext 23. To learn more about TSTC, you can visit their web site at www.tstc.edu.
Targeted at recent high school graduates, these young men were given the opportunity to start a new career and quickly gain skills to become full-time welders and welder helpers. Of the ten students, four are Waller High School graduates, one from Royal High School and the remaining trainees live in the Katy / Brookshire area.
The program was created in response to a need from Orizon Industries to hire welders. After several years of frustration and going through many candidates, Orizon President Curtis Jones was looking for a solution. “We have good paying jobs here, and can put a lot of people to work, but we have had difficulty filling the positions,” commented Mr. Jones. At one point Orizon was trying to fill fifty welder positions.
In response, the Waller County Economic Development Partnership began the process to find a training solution that would benefit both local businesses and the community. Meeting with several local employers, Vince Yokom, Executive Director of the WCEDP began working to solve the problem.
As a result of feedback at these meetings, the group visited the Ft. Bend Technical Center, located in Richmond, which is a satellite campus of Texas State Technical College (TSTC) of Waco. Those who attended the trip were impressed with the program. After not being able to find a local solution, they turned to TSTC to solve the problem.
After finding the training provider the next step was to find funding. To help with this the WCEDP turned to the Houston Galveston Area Council of Governments (HGAC) and The WorkSource, now Workfource Solutions, to find a way to finance the classes. Working together with HGAC, Workfource Solutions began the process to find dollars and qualified candidates. Heading this effort were Susan Dixon and Norma Bonica. Putting their years of experience to work, they were able to locate grants that could be used for the training and began qualifying the first class of students.
The project had an ambitious goal; get these students ready to go to work in a new, higher-paying career in just six days. Many of the trainees had never even seen or turned on a welding machine before the class. TSTC rose to the challenge and, when completed, all ten trainees were offered positions at Orizon. Two students, Fernando Hernandez of Royal High School and Alex Barrera of Waller High School passed their entry level welding test (known as a 1G) and were given new full-time jobs as welders. Two others were close. Mr. Jones commented “I was impressed that anyone was able to pass the first test. Even though only two passed, two others were very close and will be able to retest soon.”
The remaining trainees were also offered jobs as welder’s helpers with the opportunity to keep learning. Mr. Jones went on to comment “We have an apprentice program that will allow all these young men the opportunity to advance their skills. All these guys did a great job in the class and we wanted to reward their effort.” One of the workers at Orizon commented “These guys are doing great and this class is a real blessing. Every time I put my hood down, they put their hood down. They really want to learn.”
Ashley Yezak, the TSTC instructor was very satisfied with the results. “Given that most of these guys have never even turned on a welding machine speaks well of their desire to learn a new trade. I am very proud of them and appreciate the job Workfource Solutions did in qualifying the students. I had a good group to work with.” said Mr. Yezak. He continued, “We are refining the class after meeting with Orizon and feel we will get even more to pass that 1G test when we finish the next class.”
The students also expressed their appreciation for this opportunity. “We couldn’t have done it without this program. Thank you,” commended Michael Barrera. Nickyle Jackson of Prairie View said “Ashley is a great teacher.” Louis Phillips, a resident of the Katy – Brookshire area echoed those comments.
In a lunch conversation with WCEDP director Yokom, Fernando Hernandez expressed his gratitude while recalling his time at Royal High School hanging around the ag classes trying to watch and learn every chance he could.
Yokom commented; “In my four years as the director for the WCEDP nothing has given me more satisfaction as watching these guys go through this class. Knowing we have helped them start a new career and helped one of our major employers is very satisfying. I am looking forward to repeating the class and seeing even more young folks take advantage of this opportunity. I also want to thank Rodney Bradshaw at HGAC, Susan and Norma from Workfource Solutions, Edd Clark and Ashley Yezak from TSTC, and our board of directors. It was truly a great team effort.”
If you are a local employer and interested in learning more about how the WCEDP can help your company, visit www.wallercounty.org, or call 979-921-9059 Ext 23. To learn more about TSTC, you can visit their web site at www.tstc.edu.
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