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In keeping with its goals of being student-ready and serving the community, Tarrant County College offers more than 100 Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificates and credentials. Forty-two of these affordable and high-value programs enable students to achieve necessary credentials within a year or less, putting them on the fast track to rewarding careers. TCC’s CTE certificates and credentials allow students to earn college credits that are beneficial now and later. “Many times students come to us wanting to pursue their education, but they also have a strong financial need. These students are looking for the opportunity to learn or build skills quickly so they can find competitive employment,” said Nancy Curé, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. Curé further explained, “Short-term certificates are a wonderful option for these students. The certificates are focused on specific skills that employers need and students are then well qualified to meet that industry need. As a result, both the student and the employers benefit.”

Fast-track paths include Sign Language Interpreting, Construction Management Technology and Occupational Safety and Environmental Technology. Each of these career fields rank at or higher than the national average of projected job growth from 2016 to 2026. Additionally, while these career fields continue their growth (anywhere from nine to 18 percent above the national average), so grows North Texas. According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, by 2027, the population of the Dallas/Fort Worth area is expected to grow from 7.3 million to just under 9 million, the equivalent of adding another Dallas to the area population.

Signs of the Times

“Approximately 15 percent of Americans report difficulty hearing and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires these patients be accommodated. Hospitals across the country have responded to the requirement of providing DEAF Services 24 hours a day, seven days a week when patients are in critical care units,” According to Lillie Biggins, immediate past president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital. “In healthcare, it is important that the patient functions as a part of the treatment team and we are committed to have interpreters available in person. Hospitals fund these interpreters and will continue to do so.”

In Texas, there are currently 600 Hard of Hearing individuals for each credentialed sign language interpreter, meaning extraordinary opportunity for those choosing to enter this field. For others, mastering sign language translates into more meaningful personal relationships. Consider the story of Pamela McCloud.

I really wanted to be part of the Deaf community, so I could be a bigger part of my daughter’s life. Think how different the phrase ‘I love you’ looks when texted on a phone screen compared to looking into someone’s eyes as you tell them by putting everything into it.

Pamela McCloud

McCloud and her daughter now experience more intimate video chats, thanks to McCloud’s new skills employing hand movements and facial expressions recognized in the Deaf culture. Because of her new abilities, McCloud now can express her love in a way those outside Deaf culture may take for granted. “Pamela is a fantastic example and mentor for hearing parents of Deaf children to see that it’s never too late to embrace learning about Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL),” said Sammie Sheppard, program coordinator of Sign Language Interpreting at TCC Trinity River.

In less than a year’s time, McCloud will have completed TCC’s Sign Language Communicator certificate and will be able to converse fully in ASL. “Before I discovered TCC offered classes for someone like me, not Deaf or hard of hearing and that I could enroll without having to get a degree, I couldn’t believe the resources were available to someone like me,” said McCloud. “TCC was right here in my back yard and these classes were available to help me talk to my daughter in a more natural way for her.”

McCloud made a quick video call to her daughter Pinky, a real estate agent living and working with Deaf clients in the Washington, D.C. area, to show her newly earned ease in communicating. “Until a short time ago, our communication wasn’t easy,” said McCloud. “My goal was to really communicate with my child in her language and be confident about what I was saying.”

With her certification, McCloud can facilitate communication from spoken English into ASL and ASL into spoken English. TCC offers two certifications, both attainable within a year or less, which prepare individuals to work as sign language interpreters, a personally fulfilling career with employment opportunities in nearly every industry.

Building the Future

North Texas general contractors increased the amount of investment in commercial and residential real estate projects by six percent in the region in 2017, according to the Dallas Business Journal, yet the current shortage of qualified labor adds $5,000 to the cost and an extra two months of building time to each new home.

Accordingly, the timing couldn’t be any better for Adrian Thompson’s Construction Inspection Technology certification, even if it comes some 30 years after high school and at the end of his former career. Prior to enrolling at TCC, Thompson worked as a tradesman bending neon glass. He ascended the ladder from day laborer to supervisor positions at two concrete restoration companies, only to lose those jobs as the demand for neon dimmed.

It was then that Thompson found what seemed, he hoped, to be the right next step: exploring the fast-track options offered through TCC’s certificate programs in Construction Management Technology. “The time constraints were significant and I found myself looking for something that could quickly help me get a foot in the door to a job,” Thompson said.

After seeing that school was again a good fit, Thompson had a long talk with his wife. With her support, he decided it would be smarter to complete his certificate as quickly as possible, than to attempt to get by working for $9 an hour. At that time, neither knew he ultimately would be on path to complete his Associate of Applied Sciences in Construction Management. “Of course, I still worked side jobs to help bring in some extra money, but after a year and a half, I’ll have earned my certifications plus a degree,” said Thompson.

According to James Howard, program coordinator of Construction Management Technology at TCC South, “Adrian is the type of student everyone wants in a class. While finishing his capstone project, Thompson can learn while getting the full range of experience managing a faculty-supervised project on a TCC campus from beginning through completion.”

In addition to earning his associate degree, Thompson has his eye on TCC’s Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management certification to make himself more marketable to construction companies.

If TCC hadn’t been here for me after two jobs going belly up, I’d still be swinging a hammer, pulling concrete, being miserable and hurting
my body for about $9 an hour.

Adrian Thompson

He said returning to school for that one certificate brought him many opportunities he otherwise would not have enjoyed had TCC not been such a perfect fit.

Howard plans to ensure Thompson has no problem getting that Entrepreneurship certification, since Thompson will be one of three TCC students to receive a 2018-2019 private grant from the Home Builders Education Leadership Program.

After completing one of TCC’s Construction Management Technology certification programs, students find themselves armed with a solid foundation upon which to begin building a career in the construction field. Construction management technology combines aspects of business, engineering and construction. Professionals in this field typically work as construction project managers who oversee small and large residential and commercial projects.

Safety First

According to the American Public Health Association, more than 145 million workers in the U.S. face the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses that can cause serious immediate or long-term health problems. Environmental health and safety technicians are involved in preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, disabilities and deaths through research, training, treatment, advocacy and policymaking.

Ron King excels in many things, from the art of masonry restoration to erecting fire-training towers. However, life on the road began to prove less appealing for him and his family. King knew he needed to take a chance and go back to school.

"Ron King approached his time at TCC with a little hesitation since it had been a while since he last sat in a classroom," said Jasmine Gilmer, CTE academic advisor at TCC Northwest. But after he decided to complete the Environmental Health and Safety Technician certification, "he just excelled and I’m so proud of him," continued Gilmer.

King began looking for something with a good chance of a better salary, job security and longevity. After formulating a plan and doing well in classes, King felt more confident in his ability to earn his certificate and find a better job.

"With all of the new and renewable energy sources, along with gas and oil, I knew that health and safety in the workplace was a field where I could meet the current economic challenges," King said. King’s long-term goal is a career with one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund sites in Texas. King’s program coordinator at TCC Northwest, Ali Williamson, has no doubt King can succeed in whatever he sets out to achieve. “That became apparent very quickly when Ron met each challenge head on and didn’t blink,” said Williamson.

King knows that education is his ticket to the career he desires and realizes he doesn’t necessarily need a four-year degree to meet those goals. "I know that the certificates are getting me the experience I need for a quick foot in the door, but I really want more out of life for my family, so I’m also getting my associate degree,” said King. “It just makes the most sense for us right now. I got the quick certification to get a job quickly, but I know there will be a better job waiting for me after graduation.”

For King and others in the field, environmental health and safety technicians work to implement the plans developed by environmental engineers. Technicians test, operate or modify equipment used to prevent or clean up environmental pollution.

For a full listing of TCC’s CTE certification and associate of applied sciences, degrees visit tccd.edu/42ways.