BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Close to 20 job seekers from South Texas could soon be employed thanks to a donation a company has made to train the work force.
The Bechtel Corp., a company doing the hiring and employing thousands of people working at LNG Next Decade along Texas Highway 48, donated $50,000 to Texas Southmost College in pipefitting.
TSC officials and company representatives met on Friday, Sept. 5, at the ITEC Center for the check presentation.
The money will provide $3,000 scholarships to each of the 16 recipients enrolled and to complete Level II of the technical program.
Mike Demers, deputy site manager with Bechtel, said they were elated for contributing toward the education of people from here.
“This is a perfect community for us to make a difference,” he said. “It’s a great way for us to invest in the future. This is a great partnership.”
Demers said the opportunity to get ahead in the real world is here, and encouraged the students to grab the opportunity.
As he addressed the attendees, a group of about 10 soon-to-be recipients of the money listened to the speakers before the check presentation.
Among them was Brownsville resident Manuel Hernandez.
“I learned a starting job pays more than $20 an hour,” he said. ”And if you become a journeyman, the pay is higher.”
He said Bechtel is a company constantly hiring and he is hopeful to get a job before the end of the year.
The company is one of the largest employers from the private industry in South Texas, employing some 4,500 people today.
Another 400 to 500 are to be hired as its construction project shifts to higher gear between now and 2026.
Richard Mesquias, Jr., TSC vice president of external relations and workforce development, said the donation is a gift to invest in the students.
“It will help train sixteen students,” he added, “but the goal is to train as many as forty.”
These jobs pay from $12 to $33 an hour, Mesquias said.
“A few years ago it was hard to get a job in welding or in pipefitting,” he said, “but the jobs are here now.”
Texas Southmost College student Jesse Acevedo with Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)
BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Jesse Acevedo just completed a pipefitting course at Texas Southmost College.
In an interview with Ron Whitlock Reports he said he would recommend the program to anyone because pipefitters are in big demand and the wages are good.
Acevedo is about to start work for Bechtel at the Port of Brownsville. The company is building a liquefied natural gas export terminal for NextDecade.
