Everything Regent Hernandez said at Texas A&M's Port of Brownsville event

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

WESLACO, Texas - Robots were on the mind of businessman Mike Hernandez last week.

The Texas A&M University System regent had two public speaking roles and on both occasions he mentioned robotics.

One of his speeches was given at the Port of Brownsville. Hernandez was on the bill when Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp announced plans to build a $30 million advanced manufacturing trading center.

The other speech was made in Weslaco, when Hernandez gave the keynote address at a Governor’s Small Business Summit.

Brownsville speech

In his speech at the Port of Brownsville, Hernandez said the new training facility was important because “the jobs in the future are going to come down a lot to… what I have distilled it down to, robotics.”

Hernandez said that no matter what industry you look at, “there is going to be a robotics involvement.”

He said: “So, if that's the future, we need engineers to be able to design these things (robots). We also need some hands-on people that have IT skills and also can turn a wrench and fix something.”

Hernandez said these are very much new skill sets.

“It has come about due to all the technology changes and advances that we've had. And Texas A&M is here to make sure on the workforce training side that we're on the cutting edge of that so that our workforce here has the tools and skills that no one else has in the country.”

Another part of the training facility will be geared towards research and development, Hernandez said.

“For companies that are here and future companies that are coming, (it is important) that they know Texas A&M is here to help them with their R&D needs. And with all those things, our hope is to create an economic development boom starting right here at the Port of Brownsville.”

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