Training program marks third year with signing day

Dalondo Moultrie | The Seguin Gazette Aug 29, 2025

As she prepared earlier this year to graduate from Steele High School in Cibolo, Madelyn Huse said she weighed a few options for her future.

A visit to her high school guidance counselor helped lead her onto a path with a mega-grocer that could put her light years ahead of her peers in terms of career opportunities.

“I had a couple of different options in my mind but H-E-B had the most to offer,” Huse said. “They had a lot of benefits, everyone was super welcoming and super nice. I just felt like I fit right in.”

On Tuesday, Huse took part in a formal signing day celebration where she and about a dozen college students others committed their near futures to helping forge success for years to come.

The Texas Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (TX FAME): Lone Star Chapter, in partnership with Texas State Technical College (TSTC) launched its third cohort during the celebration at Texas State Technical College’s New Braunfels campus in Guadalupe County.

TX FAME’s new class consists of students seeking to become advanced manufacturing technicians through the program. A top-tier manufacturing company sponsors each student from the region.

The signing day event marks a beginning for the students’ comprehensive orientation week, when they are introduced to the program’s values, curriculum structure and hands-on training expectations. Expectations are high and those who complete the 18-month-long program will come out on the other side all the better, said Jason Dinscore, president of the TX FAME: Lone Star Chapter.

“They’re going to be at a much higher level,” he said. “I’m excited to see it.”

Through the program, students gain a foundational understanding of industry safety standards, teamwork dynamics and collaborative strategies — core pillars of the FAME educational model, Dinscore said. The program includes an “earn while you learn” model that allows students like Huse to split their time between classroom instruction two days a week and three days of paid, hands-on training with their sponsoring company, he said.

Each student who completes the program earns an Associate of Applied Science degree in advanced manufacturing technology, Dinscore said. It has the ability to give FAME students a leg up on competition in the real world, an advantage Huse’s father Dennis Huse recognized early on in his daughter’s decision-making process.

“To me it’s an amazing program. It gives students looking for a more hands-on degree an environment to pursue their passions,” Dennis said. “Not only is she getting an associate degree debt free, but she is making money along the way at a company she could be at for 30 years. This gives them the opportunity to grow with great employers who recognize the value of them learning and growing with the company.”

TX FAME’s first cohort started in August 2023.

The manufacturer-led program showcases the region’s commitment to building a skilled workforce by aligning training with industry needs, Dinscore said. Manufacturers from the region work together to create a direct pipeline of talent to help strengthen the region’s economy, he said.

Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen hailed the program’s ingenuity and continued growth.

“It seems like it was just yesterday this program came to fruition. It’s just so wonderful and exciting,” she said. “This just goes to prove once again that we can do it and we can do it together. We can do anything together.”

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