What’s happening?
In 2023 House Bill 4997 was approved, which added Comal and Guadalupe counties to Texas State Technical College’s territory.
Prior to the passing of legislation, the college system offered services to the New Braunfels area as an expansion of the Hutto Campus. Following the approval of the bill, the New Braunfels campus opened with limited programs offered.
Mike Anderson, provost of the New Braunfels campus, said there have been discussions to build a full campus featuring a larger selection of programs in Comal and Guadalupe County areas.
“There have been two plots of land that have been in the news as potential spaces,” Anderson said. “At this point, that is ultimately a chancellor decision.”
While there is no definitive timeline on the construction of a full campus, Anderson said he is confident that any expansions or new construction would be designed to meet the needs of the area.
What else?
In 2023 the New Braunfels campus began classes, offering vocational certification and programs.
The program that the campus began with was part of the Texas Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education initiative, which allows students to attend classes while working for a local employer.
“Once we got our campus designation and we got our accreditation taken care of for this site, we were able to expand our offerings,” Anderson said.
At the start of the 2024 school year, the campus was able to expand program offerings to include certifications in Industrial Systems Mechanic-Electrical and in Structural Welding, according to the campus website.
Anderson said the primary goal of the campus is to work with local businesses, such as Caterpillar and other industries, to get students into the workforce.
“There are a lot of companies in this area that we are able to partner with, and I think that is going to expand really quickly as we continue to grow in this area,” he said.
Differing from community colleges, TSTC receives state funding after students have been hired by a company, meaning the college makes student employability the primary goal.
“We are designed to respond to industry,” Anderson said. “Our mission is to put more Texans in great paying jobs.”
Stay tuned
In the future, the plan is to expand aspects of the current New Braunfels campus while making room for the construction of the full campus in Comal or Guadalupe County.
“We would certainly be interested in having something in the interim that gives us more space to use to expand the programs we have,” Anderson said. “There is nothing solid yet, but we are open to those discussions.”
Anderson said applications open around early October, and students attend the college over a three-semester period with breaks in between each semester.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent by the start of the school year being applied for. As of the 2024 school year, 80 students attend the New Braunfels campus, which puts classes at capacity.
For those interested in learning more about college programs and applications, information can be found on the TSTC website.
