The details
The project will be completed in two phases, according to Rob Wolaver, senior advisor to TSTC’s executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer. The first phase will expand the existing industrial systems technology program, while the second phase will add a new advanced manufacturing technician program.
Additionally, the school officials are looking to expand the welding program.
TSTC representatives said a groundbreaking for the new facility is expected to take place by the end of March or in early April, and the goals is to welcome the first students into the new facility for the spring 2026 semester.
How we got here
Wolaver said TSTC received a little over $200 million from the Capital Construction Assistance Program for the construction and expansion of its facilities.
For the Hutto campus, the project budget is around $54 million, although Wolaver said that number could change.
“We’ve got a total of—statewide—$275 million worth of projects going on at five of our campuses,” Wolaver said. “These are projects that are specifically targeted to expand the capacity of existing programs or create new capacity for programs. It’s directed at what the high-demand occupations are. ... All of our efforts with this [Hutto] project is to expand or add new programs to support the emerging advanced manufacturing market from this whole corridor.”
Why it matters
Wolaver said the college has a custom-designed “skillset pathway process” that looks at what skills and occupations employers need, and the curriculum is reverse engineered so students are trained specifically to meet those needs.
“We’re trying to be really deliberate in making sure we’re training folks to be highly productive technicians the day they set foot in whichever employer's door they walk through," Wolaver said.
