Edward Wilds said he worked various low-pay jobs. But he didn’t find work that fit him, until he saw HVAC workers at a FedEx building in Hutchins. The work looked fun, and paid well, so the Palmer native wanted to try that.
Wilds went on to enroll with the HVAC technology program at Texas State Technical College‘s North Texas campus in Red Oak. He’s planning to receive his HVAC technician certification next year, so the 25-year-old recently attended the campus’ first-ever job fair.
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“Growing up in school, I’ve not really been good at paperwork and homework and schoolwork. I learn a lot with my hands. I’m a hands-on learner. I’d say that that’s the best part about learning at TSTC,” Wilds told The Dallas Morning News.
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Texas State Technical College is a system of public two-year campuses where students can obtain technical and workforce training credentials in fields for electricians, plumbers and construction workers, among other occupations.
Job fairs for TSTC’s North Texas students typically occur at the campus in Waco. But the Red Oak site held its own event with over 30 companies after the campus expanded to more than 500 students, said Marcus Balch, provost of TSTC’s North Texas campus.
Balch told The News many students were excited to network with companies in their own backyard, creating a “festive, celebratory kind of day.”
Marcus Balch, provost of Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus, left, shakes hands with Greg Elliott of JLL during a job fair at the college’s North Texas campus, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Red Oak.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
“We’ve had [business] partners that have been with us for a very long time, and some new partners here today as well,” Balch said.
One of those newer partners is Schneider Electric, an energy management and automation company in Dallas-Fort Worth. Amy Martin, a service operations manager at Schneider Electric, told The News the company needs to hire field technicians and service field representatives.
Martin also said the company has hired students from the Waco campus who have gone on to do good things with the company.
“I love the programs that are here because they’re not specifically focused on just one thing,” Martin said. “You need to know a little bit about everything in order to do what we do.”
Workforce development is a major priority in Texas as the state works to build upon its standing as the world’s eighth-largest economy.
Approximately 48% of Texas jobs require postsecondary skills training, but only 30% of Texas workers possess those qualifications, according to a report from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Labor Market Information Department.
By 2031, 63% of Texas jobs will require education beyond high school, according to a report by Georgetown University. That’s due in part to population growth, especially in North Texas, which is expected to grow from over 7.9 million residents to more than 9.1 million by 2035, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
Leo Ruiz of Prism Electric, background left, talks with students of Texas State Technical College during a job fair as his colleague David King shakes hands with a student at the college’s North Texas campus, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Red Oak.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
The job fair highlighted critical workforce needs in several industries, including semiconductors, health care and data centers.
Leo Ruiz is an account manager for Prism Electric, an electrical contracting company that works across health care, commercial, industrial and data center sectors. He told The News the state technical college creates students who understand complex systems and instrumentation.
“We still have individuals that have graduated” from Texas State Technical College, Ruiz said.
Workforce development advocates consider Texas State Technical College a longtime champion for job-seekers. According to the college system, the college’s job placement rate exceeds 90%.
“As far as what type of training [graduates] want to pursue, there’s not a right or wrong answer,” Balch said. “If there’s a person that likes to build, repair, design, work with your hands, not only are there opportunities, but there’s really incredible opportunities right now in technical fields.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.