Students in TSTC’s Drafting and Design program visit Samuel Engineering Inc.

(MARSHALL, Texas) - Students in the Drafting and Design program at Texas State Technical College's Marshall campus recently traveled to Tyler to visit Samuel Engineering Inc., a multidisciplinary engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction company.

"I organize these field trips for my students to broaden their perspectives, reinforce the value of their education and give them a glimpse of the industry I enjoyed so much," Suzy Kirkpatrick, a TSTC Drafting and Design instructor, said. "Hearing directly from employers validates my teachings about industry demand for drafters and the excellent earning potential."

Clinton Felts, a project manager at Samuel and a former colleague of Kirkpatrick's, led the tour.

During the visit, several of the company's designers showcased their work in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional drafting, highlighting their attention to detail. The team estimated that their projects consist of 40% 2D and 60% 3D work.

"Everything we do comes back to drawings in one way or another," Felts said.

Felts expressed to the TSTC students the company's need for new employees and said Samuel hopes to recruit 30 interns company-wide in the near future.

"Our group of people are getting older, and we need to make sure that we have people coming in that can take over for us," Felts said. "The students that came in here, they asked good questions and they seemed attentive."

Among those on the tour was Joshua Johnston, an Architectural/Civil Drafting Technology student.

"The entire trip was excellent," he said. "I was very well informed by the presentation today."

Drafting and Design is available at TSTC's Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas and Waco campuses. The program is also available online.

Registration for TSTC's spring semesterbegins Oct. 28. To learn more, visit tstc.edu.

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