KINGSVILLE (Nov. 27, 2025) — For the father-and-son-duo of Amando Tunchez Sr. and Amando Tunchez Jr., the decision to enroll in a trade school was about adding new skills and discovering that a true career path was an option.
At the Javelina Skilled Trades Academy, the Tunchez father-son duo are getting opportunities as both are enrolled in its 15-week National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) + electrical 1 Class.
Amando Sr., a San Diego native and currently a Captain for the Alice Fire Department, says the class teaches him skills beneficial at work and helps fill his curiosity to learn.
“Being a firefighter, I deal with electrical issues and troubleshooting incidents that we encounter in both emergencies and non-emergencies where a fire is started,” Tunchez Sr. said. “That is one part, but the other is for the fact that I’ve always been interested in fixing things and this expands my knowledge doing that. I figured I had been firefighting for quite a few years now, so this is kind of setting up for retirement.”
While Tunchez Sr. discovered the right fit by enrolling, it seemed as if father knew best as he invited his son to do the same.
It’s been an experience Tunchez Jr. never thought he’d have but one that he feels allows him to have success.
“Having my dad as a classmate has been very interesting,” said Tunchez Jr., who commutes to the classes from Corpus Christi. “He’s actually the one who gave me the opportunity to come to this class. Without him, I wouldn’t be here to be honest with you. Especially with me going through my tests. I’m not a very good test taker, but he gives me the confidence booster to get through it, especially working with our classmates. We’re all a team and we’re all going to get through this.”
“It’s been a blessing for me to take the class alongside my son,” Tunchez Sr. said. “I’m looking to grow in what I learn, but seeing him and the opportunities this class could bring to his future and career is definitely somethingI’m really excited about. If I can share that with him and help him in any way I can…and we can do those things together, then it’s just an added bonus.”
The Tunchez pair and the class are nearly there as they have already earned certificates for NCCER Core: Introduction to Basic Construction Skills, NCCER Site Safety Orientation and their Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-Hour Construction Safety.
The class is currently in the middle of their NCCER Electrical 1 Coursework, which teaches safework practices, while covering applied electrical theory and residential, commercial, and industrial electrical knowledge and skills.
The class, which is the Academy’s initial cohort of students since opening in August, is taught by lead electrical instructor Raul Chapa, a retired high school instructor who, coincidentally, has his son, Sean, in the class. Chapa, who know Tunchez Sr. away from the class and actually convinced him to enroll, said having his son in class as well as teach others a trade after retirement means a great deal to him.
“I told my son about the class and I was so happy that he said yes,” Chapa said. “It means so much to me because I can teach him so much stuff maybe another instructor would not. I want the class to get as much information as they can off of me. That’s the beauty of it. I’m no longer able to do this, but I can teach this. They’re the next generation of this trade. I also have another son who is an electrician and having two would be awesome.”
The NCCER Coursework is set to conclude on Dec. 4, which will be the closing of a small chapter for Tunchez Jr. and the start of what he hopes will be the start of something more thanks to the Academy.
“I felt for a long time that I was in a loophole,” Tunchez Jr. said. “I was going ‘round and ‘round, same thing every single day with no change. Having the opportunity to come to electrical class has been really great. Ever since I started, I put my name out there more and I have gotten job offers to go work at the chemical plant, to go work SpaceX Brownsville and even offshore in Saudi Arabia.
“There have been big opportunities that have never been presented to me at all,” he added. “There are new opportunities I never knew existed and here they are presented right in front of me. Having these certifications gives me the experience I need to go bigger and better with anything I do.”
-TAMUK-
