HUTTO — Texas State Technical College broke ground on a $47 million training center at its East Williamson County location Feb. 5.
The 70,000-square-foot building will house the advanced manufacturing technology-semiconductor, industrial systems and precision machining technology programs for the campus, located at 1600 Innovation Blvd.
“What’s special about this facility is it begins with the end in mind. That is, we’ve designed the advanced manufacturing programs that are going to go into this center with conversation with the various employers in the region, so we can be sure the students who study here are going to get the exact skills needed to land a great-paying job,” TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser said.
Those employers include Samsung Austin Semiconductor, which partners with the college and the state to allocate funds to expand technical training programs in Texas, which is experiencing a growing skills gap. The company previously invested $100,000 in TSTC in 2024.
Gov. Greg Abbott declared strengthening technical training an emergency item in his State of the State address Feb. 2.
“We’ve been working with the school staff and faculty here to help develop programs that support the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing. … We love your students. We do hire students here,” Samsung Workforce Development Leader Kwee Lan Teo said to the crowd. “Samsung has an ongoing need for employees with a wide variety of skills, which TSTC has managed to fulfill all these years.”
The college also houses factory training centers at the Waco and Fort Bend campuses that provide custom instruction for Tesla’s Gigacenter factory near Bastrop.
The future building is one of the college’s seven expansion projects. It is funded by the Capital Construction Assistance Projects under Senate Bill 52 from the 87th Texas Legislative Session in 2021, with additional funding from TSTC.
“I’m so honored that I get to be a part of the future of Williamson County. My hope is that the job that I do as state representative makes not just a better life for my kids who grow up here, but for everybody in this country and in this state. And TSTC is such a huge part of that,” District 52 state Rep. Caroline Harris Davila said at the ceremony.
Other elected officials and representatives in attendance included Hutto Mayor Mike Snyder; Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles; Brandon Simon, Central Texas regional director for Sen. Ted Cruz; and Maria Alvarado, district director for Congressman John Carter.
“The voters of Texas and the city (of Hutto) all continue to do one thing — build our workforce, make the lives better for the next generation,” Snyder said. “What we’re going to see here is a bigger campus, more people, more things that are going to keep our kids living in Williamson County and not living out.”
With more space, officials predict the college’s enrollment will triple.
“The thing about technology is you can’t teach diesel in a welding lab, and you can’t teach cyber in an aircraft lab. And we teach all of those, but each needs its own space. So, the reach of TSTC is constrained by how many labs we can put on the ground at our various campuses across the state,” Reeser said.
TSTC operates on an outcome- based funding model that relies on students securing employment after graduating to ensure success, in addition to a money-back guarantee providing refunds to students who don’t land a good-paying job.
The college has a 93% jobplacement rate and has yet to have an unsatisfied graduate, officials said.
Construction for the new training center will take place this summer, with an anticipated opening in spring 2027.
