Joey Gomez
MCALLEN, TEXAS – South Texas College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology hosted its Manufacturing Career Fair and Expo dedicated to connecting manufacturers with students seeking their start in the industry.
Created over a decade ago, STC’s Manufacturing Expo has long been the college’s signature event that consists of speakers in manufacturing as well as networking events, recruitment and hiring opportunities for eager students.
“It’s a unique time for South Texas College because we are entering a new era of advanced manufacturing,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. “I worked with manufacturing and industry within our industrial parks before entering higher education, so I have been able to see the changes and the transformation of manufacturing along the border and especially the Rio Grande Valley. The industry is ever-evolving and the programs at STC are elevating and advancing the industry.”
The 2025 Expo included high school students from Vanguard Academy, Weslaco ISD and PSJA ISD. Guest speakers included South Texas Manufacturers Association Executive Director and advisory board member Mike Willis, Johnson Controls Plant manager Michael Rivera, and Rio Precision Machine and Welding owner and CEO Dennis Knobloch.
Students and attendees also received a surprise virtual visit from Luis Carillo-Rodriguez, university recruiter with Idaho National Laboratory, one of the national labs with the U.S. Department of Energy primarily involved with nuclear energy research.
“This is about connecting industry with our students and trying to build the local workforce we have here in south Texas,” said Erika Guerra, STC Advanced Manufacturing Technology program chair. “We are celebrating manufacturing and bringing in those networking opportunities and partnerships with companies and students in our local school districts so they understand what these companies are looking for along with the skills and the equipment they utilize so they can be ready when these companies are ready to hire.”
The number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. stands at about 13 million with more than 987,000 of those jobs in Texas, and 16,000 jobs in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
In total, the industry contributed $2.93 trillion to the economy, 10% of U.S. GDP, in 2024, according to NAM.
Employers at the expo said the partnership with STC is crucial for employers and students.
“I recommend that all students make the most out of their education. You have to learn to pay attention and then do better than your predecessors. STC has given you a head start to do that,” said Knobloch. “Most of the world’s greatest inventors are thinking outside the box so I encourage everybody do that. I have always enjoyed building things since I was 7 years old, so mechanical assembly is something that has always impressed me. I’m happy to see that the college fosters the same in its students. They just have to believe in themselves and get after it.”
STC alum Jose Maldonado earned his associate degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology in May 2024. Maldonado said it took more than 20 years in the Army, a short stint in local law enforcement, and the support of STC faculty manufacturing to land his ideal job designing and crafting jet engine parts for GE Aerospace.
There are countless opportunities available for students as long as they have the ability to seize them when they show up, Maldonado said.
“It may not take place overnight, but good things happen with a lot of hard work and determination,” he said. “As for me, STC was so important because it helped me transition to my ideal career as quickly as possible.”
