TSTC-Waco to open RFID training program

An RFID tag is an object that can be applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. RFID tags normally contain two parts, an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, and an antenna for receiving and transmitting the signal.

Hoheisal said the majority of RFID uses are in enterprise supply chain management, improving the efficiency of inventory tracking and management. He said the devices act in a manner similar to bar codes, but do not need to be physically passed through a scanner to reveal their information.

"There's also a heavy market for asset traffic and management," he said. "It's a way for companies to keep up with computers, printers, and larger high value items that can be tagged and tracked as they move around the office, or identified during inventory."

Hoheisal said he hopes to attract a wide variety of people to the TSTC program.

"The main target group is people going into networking, systems administration or programming," he said. "Business people will want to learn how RFIDs can be used from a management perspective. There's a broad spectrum of fields that are interested in what RFIDs can do for them."

He said TSTC in an obvious choice for people who want to learn about RFIDs because of the school's hand's-on approach to teaching.

"Universities may have labs that deal with RFIDs, but they take a very academic approach to studying them," he said. "Our campus emphasizes a very hands-on approach to use and troubleshooting. We pride ourselves on teaching about RFIDs on a very practical, useful level."

The RFID program is planning a "grand opening" on Feb. 28 on the TSTC campus in Waco. Hoheisal said it's geared for industry professionals and companies to become familiar with the program.

"We're going to open the doors and say 'Hey, we want to form partnerships with you guys,'" he said. "'We want to hear your opinions, we want to learn from your experiences.' We've been doing training here on campus for the past month and everybody here knows about us. Now we want the public to find out about our program."

The program is being operated under a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The Grand Opening is set for 10:30 a.m. at the TSTC RFID Center, 3801 Campus Drive in Waco. For more information, contact Hoheisal at 254-867-2055 or at bob.hoheisal@tstc.edu.