South Texas College and Mid-Valley International Airport launch first avionics program in South Texas

WESLACO — There’s a battered old fuselage from a small airplane sitting in a hanger at the Mid-Valley International Airport.

It doesn’t look like much. It has neither wings, doors nor propeller. Its paint is scuffed and on the inside it’s gutted.

Despite all those significant imperfections, that little fuselage is about to become part of the heart of a new education program local leaders say will have a significant impact on workforce development locally.

The fuselage will serve as a hands-on teaching tool for South Texas College’s (STC) new avionics technician program, which celebrated a ribbon cutting Tuesday.

That program — the first of its kind in South Texas — will teach students about the development, installation and maintenance of electronic systems in airplanes, satellites and spacecraft.

The program, which will be housed in a new facility at the airport, will take 16 weeks to complete.

STC anticipates it will start teaching a cohort of 12 students in August, though the number of enrollees could potentially go up.

State Representative and Mid-Valley Airport Interim Airport Director Armando “Mando” Martinez said Monday that those students will be taking advantage of a burgeoning field that up till now Rio Grande Valley residents have had to jump hurdles to enter.

Before now, the closest avionics program to the Valley was in Waco, he said.

“Miles away,” he said. “Hard for students to get to. It’s something where students who may want an opportunity would have to drive or travel or move in order to become certified.”

Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David L. Fuentes said accessibility to the program will help Valley residents better position themselves for jobs both in and out of South Texas.

“There’s so much opportunity that goes untapped here just because we’re not aware — we’re not aware of the opportunities that are in front of us,” he said.

Avionics technicians earn an average wage of $77,000 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS anticipates 7,300 new jobs in the field will be created between 2024 and 2034.

Locally, an avionics certification could translate to a job at an airport.

The Valley’s airports have continued to grow alongside its municipalities, and Martinez said a well-trained workforce will be needed to keep up with and leverage that airport growth.

“People want to see what we have as far as services. But the only way you can provide service is through services,” he said, referencing the Mid-Valley Airport in particular. 

There’s another potential employer STC had its eyes on when it decided to launch an avionics program: SpaceX.

Avionics technicians work on spacecraft as well as planes. 

SpaceX is hiring avionics technicians in Starbase right now. 

STC President Ricardo Solis said the program will prepare students for the future Valley job market.

“The future is now…” Solis said. “What we’re doing here in the Mid-Valley, is we’re creating an industry.”

The training space for the program will be equipped thanks to a $50,000 donation from Hidalgo County Precinct 1.

The program will be offered in two ways: an adult program and one for high school juniors and seniors. 

Adults will be able to earn a credential in about 16 weeks; it’ll take high schoolers about two years to complete the program.