Who’s Hiring Looks at the Changing Face of Manufacturing at SEG Solar

Manufacturing supports roughly a quarter-million jobs across the Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s 13-county region, and the work itself is changing as automation, robotics, computer-controlled equipment, and other advanced technologies become more common. That changing landscape was the focus of the latest Who’s Hiring filming at SEG Solar, where Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast and ABC13 explored what advanced manufacturing means for employers and workers across the region.

Gulf Coast Workforce Board Executive Director Juliet Stipeche joined ABC13’s Nick Natario for the conversation, connecting what is happening at SEG Solar to the Board’s larger focus on the region’s workforce. Advanced manufacturing encompasses occupations at many skill and education levels, and Workforce Solutions works directly with employers to identify the workers and skills they need while connecting residents with jobs, training, and education.

SEG Solar provided a timely setting for that discussion. The company is expanding its manufacturing presence in the Houston region and hiring across a range of functions. CEO Jim Wood addressed the company’s growth and workforce needs, while conversations with employees and company leaders illustrated the breadth of work required to support a modern manufacturing operation, from production and technical training to supply chain and other professional roles.

The discussion then widened beyond one employer. Lacy Wolfe, principal industry liaison at Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast, addressed the range of manufacturing careers available throughout the region, the different education and training routes into those occupations, and the value of skills that can transfer among employers and industries. He also discussed what companies are looking for as technology becomes more integrated into manufacturing.

Wolfe brings a statewide perspective to that work as a member of both Governor Greg Abbott’s Texas Jobs Council and the Task Force on Modernizing Manufacturing. His participation gave the conversation a direct connection to the broader questions Texas employers and workforce leaders are confronting: how manufacturing is evolving, where demand is headed and how to prepare enough skilled workers to meet it.

For Stipeche and the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, those questions have immediate regional implications. Manufacturing remains a major source of employment throughout the 13 counties, while new technologies are changing the skills required within many of those jobs. The Board’s role is to translate what employers are seeing into workforce strategies that help the region keep pace, from training and education to employer engagement and connections to jobs.

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