Texas FAME Lone Star Chapter and Texas State Technical College Partner to Create Regional Workforce Pipeline

The apprenticeship- style program offers paid, hands-on experience towards a degree.

Texas (November 3, 2022) – Thousands of students in one of the fastest-growing corridors in the country now have another educational opportunity through a paid, apprenticeship-style program. Today, the Texas Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (TX FAME) announced the state’s third chapter, TX FAME Lone Star, serving the communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, and other cities in between San Antonio and Austin.

With a large manufacturing base and the cities of New Braunfels and Seguin continuing to attract new manufacturers, dual needs converged for high demand careers and the training to land those jobs.
“The students and workers of our region deserve to have multiple opportunities for their future,” said Jason Dinscore, TX FAME Lone Star board president and Area Manager Quality Systems for CMC Steel Texas. “By creating a pipeline of talent in a high-demand field, we’re ensuring people have access to well-paying jobs and our area is equipped to attract and retain business.”
Manufacturers joined forces to create TX FAME Lone Star and brought in Texas State Technical College (TSTC) to provide the critical educational component for the Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program. The program will be operated out of the Central Texas Technology Center (CTTC) in New Braunfels. Students will take classes at the CTTC two days a week while working with their sponsoring company three days a week, allowing them to “earn while they learn.”

“TSTC works hard to serve the employers of Texas, wherever they are,” said Joe Arnold, deputy vice chancellor and executive external relations officer for TSTC’s Office of Government Relations. ”When employers succeed, our students succeed. Geographic location shouldn’t stand in the way of learning skills that result in a high-paying, high-value job. Every Texan deserves the opportunity to succeed.”
The TX FAME Lone Star AMT program will develop highly skilled workers who earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. After receiving 1,800 hours of hands-on experience, 85% of graduates proceed to direct employment with a sponsoring company and earn wages that are, on average, 38% higher than non-FAME graduates.

Student recruitment is underway for the new TX FAME Lone Star AMT program, with classes beginning in August 2023. Students can start applying immediately at www.lonestarfame.com. Interested manufacturers can also join TX FAME Lone Star by contacting Jason.Dinscore@cmc.com.

FAME was created by Toyota and moved to the Manufacturing Institute for national scaling in 2019. Today, the Manufacturing Institute, as the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, is proud to manage FAME USA as it continues to grow across the country.
“FAME chapters are prime examples of the power of partnership and the TX FAME – Lone Star chapter is a shining example of that power,” said Tony Davis, FAME National Director for the Manufacturing Institute. “Employers have the need and are working with local partners to bring this powerful program to their area. We are honored to support this effort and look forward to watching the positive impact FAME has on the local area workforce and manufacturing sector!”

Impressed by the success of the Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) model for workforce development in other communities, the Caterpillar Foundation asked the MI to assess the viability of replicating its model for the Seguin community. This resulted in the establishment of the Lone Star Chapter of TX FAME to improve the workforce development ecosystem.

“Our focus is on building community resilience by empowering individuals with the hard and soft skills they need to secure lifelong employment,” said Caterpillar Foundation President Asha Varghese. “We are excited to bring TX FAME to this growing community.”

TX FAME Lone Star is a result of hard work, careful planning, and collaboration among the City of New Braunfels, the City of Seguin, the Seguin Economic Development Corporation, the New Braunfels Economic Development Corporation, area school districts, Texas State Technical College, FAME USA as an initiative of The Manufacturing Institute, and the TX FAME Lone Star Chapter employer partners.

New Braunfels and Seguin have long believed in providing technical training to support businesses and the community to gain access to high demand career opportunities. In 2000, the City of New Braunfels Higher Education Task Force completed an assessment of the community’s higher education needs which resulted in the construction of the CTTC that opened in 2003. In 2010, an update to the study was completed which led to expansion of the CTTC facility, supported financially by New Braunfels EDC, Seguin EDC, and the Economic Development Administration. The City of Seguin and their EDC have been a tremendous backbone organization, getting the employers organized, seeking out funding opportunities for equipment, and kicking off recruitment efforts. These two communities are showing what regional collaboration can accomplish for industry.

The Lone Star Chapter is hard at work raising funds for equipment. Many organizations and companies are coming forward to support this endeavor. “CMC Steel Texas is extremely excited about partnering with the community to bring the Lone Star Chapter of Fame to fruition,” said William VanderWaal, Director of Mill Operations at CMC Steel. “Working together to develop our young people to secure Seguin’s future as a manufacturing mecca is good for Seguin and good for business. This is why CMC Steel Texas is wholly on board financially and with whatever resources necessary to ensure the success of this extremely important endeavor. Congratulations to all those who have worked so hard over the last couple years to get us here.”

The Lone Star Chapter was founded by thirteen employers who will actively sponsor students through the program starting in the Fall of 2023. Those companies include: Alamo Industrial (Seguin, Texas), AmeriTex Pipe & Product (Seguin, Texas), Caterpillar Inc. (Seguin & Schertz, Texas), Cavco Industries (Seguin, Texas), CMC Steel Texas (Seguin, Texas), Continental (New Braunfels, Texas), Detex Corporation (New Braunfels, Texas), Minigrip (Seguin, Texas), Niagara Bottling (Seguin, Texas), Rave Gears (Seguin, Texas), Republic Plastics (Seguin, Texas), Texas Tito’s (New Braunfels, Texas), and Vitesco Technologies (Seguin, Texas).
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a coeducational two-year institution of higher education offering courses of study in technical vocational education for which there is demand within the state of Texas. Texas State Technical College System shall contribute to the educational and economic development of the state of Texas by offering occupationally oriented programs with supporting academic course work, emphasizing highly specialized advanced and emerging technical and vocational areas for certificates or associate degrees.

The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) network is comprised of employer-led chapters sponsoring students through a work/learn model over five semesters in conjunction with a college partner. The Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program, a FAME co-op, produces global-best, entry-level multiskilled maintenance technicians to excel in today’s advanced manufacturing environments. The FAME USA network is managed and supported by The Manufacturing Institute; learn more at FAME-USA.com.

The Caterpillar Foundation Founded in 1952, Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization, the Caterpillar Foundation, has contributed more than $850 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by building resilient communities that thrive in a rapidly changing world. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar Foundation, visit caterpillar.com/foundation. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

Commercial Metals Company and its subsidiaries manufacture, recycle and fabricate steel and metal products and provide related materials and services through a network of facilities that includes seven electric arc furnace (“EAF”) mini mills, two EAF micro mills, one rerolling mill, steel fabrication and processing plants, construction-related product warehouses and metal recycling facilities in the United States and Poland. Through its Tensar operations, CMC is a leading global provider of innovative ground and soil stabilization solutions selling into more than 80 national markets through two major product lines: Tensar® geogrids and Geopier® foundation systems. Learn more at cmc.com.