ABILENE, Texas — Texas is on track to become the largest data center market on Earth, and students at Texas State Technical College are taking night classes to prepare for the massive $3 trillion data center boom. Their rigorous evening training combines technical instruction with practical application, ensuring they acquire the expertise necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly growing industry. The 15-week course provides students with 224 hours of classroom and lab instruction, equipping them with the skills needed to manage and maintain data center facilities.
Keivon Johnson is a wind turbine technician and a student at TSTC (KTXS/Briannagh Dennehy).
Learning and applying new skills daily, wind turbine technician Keivon Johnson is making the most of his TSTC training.
“As a new wind turbine technician, this training has really helped me with my job. Every day I learn something new, and I apply it to my work,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to land a job. I’m open to different companies. The one that offers the highest salary will be the one that I ultimately end up choosing.”
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From 6 to 10 p.m., Johnson endures long evenings of training, often running on minimal sleep.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. every day. I probably go to bed at around 12 a.m.,” Johnson said. “I have work at 7 a.m. I leave work to come directly to this night class for 6 p.m. I finish class at around 10 p.m. Then, I go home and get ready to do it all over again.”
The 15-week course trains students for data center careers (KTXS/Briannagh Dennehy).
Daniel DeVore, TSTC’s advanced manufacturing instructor, noted that graduates could secure a job within weeks of completing the program.
“After completing the program, graduates could probably secure a job within a month or so,” he said. “They’re installing motors. They’re learning how to troubleshoot. Essentially, they’re gaining all of the necessary skills that they will need to work at a data center.”
The 224-hour course comes with a $4,700 price tag (KTXS/Briannagh Dennehy).
Starting just a few weeks ago, the course is still in its early stages. This has led to questions about whether the $4,700 tuition can truly deliver on promised job outcomes.
KTXS asked, “How does TSTC justify tuition costs for a course that hasn’t yet proven it leads to job placements?”
DeVore shared that the companies reviewing the program have praised its curriculum.
“A lot of companies have already looked at our program. Although they haven’t said that they will hire our students, they have let us know that this seems to be a very strong program. They made it clear that the topics we’re covering here are what they want their technicians to know when they’re hiring,” DeVore said. “That kind of gives us confirmation that our students will fit the needs of what these companies are looking for.”