CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A $50,000 donation from the Port of Corpus Christi will soon pave the way for high-school students to be trained in a field that is begging for skilled workers.
The Conrad Blucher Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi plans to use the money to get students on the path to a career that most have never even considered.
Not many high schoolers dream about working as a land surveyor, but given the number of high-paying jobs that, right now, are going unfilled in an industry that offers long-term security, maybe they should.
Land surveying has been around for hundreds of years, and it is a skill that is often needed by real-estate agents, engineering firms, and even the Texas Department of Transportation. According to the Executive Director of the Conrad Blucher Institute, it is also an industry that is desperate for help.
“The average age of a land surveyor here in Texas is 59 years old," said TAMU-CC Conrad Blucher Institute Executive Director Rick Smith. "They are going to want to retire soon, and what they're really desperate for is the younger generation to learn land surveying and to come in and eventually buy their companies and run their companies."
With fewer people enrolling in academic programs for geospatial engineering and land surveying, Smith believes that reversing the trend begins with teaching the skill to teenagers -- something the Texas Education Agency now has approved.
Not only will that involve putting together engineering camps for middle-school students, but also an interactive dual-credit program for high-school students that includes both classroom instruction and time in the field.
That would mean getting a degree in only three years after graduation, but Smith says it is not the only option.
“What we want to do is really give students choices," he said. "One is: Take the college-level credit in high school, get a certificate and go directly to work. The other option is to go to work and work on your degree while you’re at work. The third option is to go directly to the university, knock that degree out in three years, and then go off into the workforce.”
Right now, both the port and the city of Corpus Christi, along with San Patricio County and several engineering firms, have jobs posted in this field – some paying close to $100,000.
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