Diego Sigala chuckled to himself as he yanked black electrical cords out of a training board positioned against a wall in a classroom.
“We did it wrong,” the student said in a hushed tone to his classmate and pointed to their right.
They watched instructor T.J. Felgar snatch the wires protruding from a nearby electrical board, rearrange them and pick up black and red cables hanging from a multimeter to test the voltage. Felgar flipped a switch.
Click. A closed electrical loop.
Learning how electricity works — and doesn’t — is key for Diego and 14 other high school students. The teens are part of a new program at Tarrant County College South Campus where they receive training to become heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians.
The effort is a collaboration between TCC, the Fort Worth and Kennedale school districts, and private industry that was forged to address local workforce needs.
David Saenz, senior education adviser for the Fort Worth Mayor’s Council on Education & Workforce, helped bring the entities together. HVAC was selected because it offers so many opportunities for students beginning their first day of work, school officials said.
“This program is an example of how multiple educational institutions can partner with local industries to launch programming that provides different career-connected college options for Fort Worth students,” Saenz said.
High school students from Fort Worth and Kennedale school districts learn how electrical circuits work at Tarrant County College South Campus in Fort Worth on Sept. 25, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
The goal is for students to earn 23 college credit hours and a certification by high school graduation — all at no cost. They even receive a tool set that they can add to as they move from school into their careers.
The training will go a long way toward addressing the HVAC industry’s worker shortage.
HVAC-provider Trane Commercial faces labor issues even as the Fort Worth area and Texas boom in population, said Brian Fox, an area general manager for the company.
The Texas Workforce Commission projects 3,719 openings for HVAC technicians every year through 2030. The median annual wage is $59,810.
In Tarrant County, a single adult needs at least $48,200 a year to cover basic expenses, and a family of four with two working parents requires more than $108,600, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The technician workforce is aging, and young people aren’t interested in the work, Fox said.
“We’re trying to get proactive,” he said.
Students use an electricity training board to get hands-on experience at Tarrant County College South Campus in Fort Worth on Sept. 25, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Diego, 17, joined the training program because he wanted an extra skill. His welding teacher at South Hills High School encouraged him to sign up.
“It just means more opportunities,” the high school junior said. “Hopefully, one day, I can start my own business.”
His TCC classmate, Kennedale High School junior Arron Mendoza, jumped at the chance for the training. He comes from a blue-collar family, he said. His dad is a diesel mechanic. A cousin is a welder. The 16 year old wants to follow in those family footsteps and work with his hands.
“It was a really good opportunity for me to learn skills, and starting early was important for me,” Arron said.
Arron Mendoza, a junior at Kennedale High School, moves cables around on an electricity training board during class at Tarrant County College South Campus in Fort Worth on Sept. 25, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Students receive a structured pathway into the HVAC industry and training from experienced technicians, said Dan Lufkin, TCC South Campus president.
“It embeds industry credentials into a career field that offers countless opportunities, preparing students to be job ready on day one and positioning them for advancement in a high-demand industry across our region,” Lufkin said.
Felgar knows the value of the program. He went through it as a TCC student. He started working as an HVAC technician in 2009 before becoming an instructor a decade later.
Instructor T.J. Felgar assists students learning how to work on HVAC units at Tarrant County College South Campus in Fort Worth on Sept. 25, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
During the recent class, Felgar wanted his students to learn how to measure resistance and why it is important for connecting circuits inside an air conditioning unit. Electricity is the basis of all of their work — and future problems that they will be tasked to repair, he said.
“These guys are remarkable at the age they’re at,” Felgar said. “They’ve committed themselves to learning a trade that’s going to serve them their whole life.”
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
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