Texas Border Business
WESLACO, Texas – The North American Development Bank (NADBank), The Trust for the Americas, the RGV Partnership, and South Texas College are pleased to be hosting the inaugural Water Workforce Grant Workshop on Tuesday, March 3, 202, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The grant workshop will take place at the RGV Partnership offices in the Bill Summers Board Room located at 322 South Missouri Avenue in Weslaco, Texas.
This informational workshop is designed for individuals and organizations based in the Rio Grande Valley who are interested in learningabout a grant opportunity linked with a new water workforce development program for the region. This workshop’s organizers will discuss how local entities can benefit from available resources, build strategic partnerships, and contribute to building a sustainable future for wateroperations in the Lower Rio Grande River region.
“At NADBank, we are honored to join with The Trust for the Americas, the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, and South Texas College to launch the Skills for Sustainability water workforce development initiative that delivers real opportunity for our communities,” saidJohn Beckham, Managing Director of the Bank. “Building on the proven success of our El Paso–Juárez pilot, this expanded effort in the Rio Grande Valley will accelerate economic mobility, close critical workforce gaps in the water sector, and equip local residents with the skills needed to sustain the region’s infrastructure and long-term growth.”
This March 3rd workshop in Weslaco will focus on expanding the Skills for Sustainability (S4S) project to interested partners across theLower Rio Grande Valley. Developed by The Trust for the Americas and funded by NADBank, S4S is a demand-driven workforce development initiative that has already demonstrated significant success in the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez metropolitan region. In El Paso, S4S partnered with local educational institutions and public utilities to train and place workers in water and wastewater operations,helping El Paso Water close its gap in filling entry-level positions, while creating stable employment pathways for participants from low-income backgrounds.
To date, S4S has graduated 431 participants from the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez metropolitan region, with 90% of graduates securing full-time employment or pursuing higher education. The S4S project’s successful model has since expanded to include specialized SCADAoperator training, confirming its scalability and adaptability. This initiative for the Lower Rio Grande Valley region will apply the same proven S4S methodology, offering training tracks in Level 1 Wastewater Operations and Heavy Equipment Operations, with training to be delivered by South Texas College, The Trust for the Americas, and other regional educational institutions.
Among those who have already confirmed their participation in the March 3rd workshop in Weslaco are the following: representativesfrom municipalities including the cities of Donna, Lyford, and San Juan; water supply and irrigation entities, such as North Alamo Water Supply Corporation, El Jardin Water Supply Corporation, Brownsville Irrigation District, and Delta Lake Irrigation District; economic development corporations from McAllen, Edinburg, Elsa, and Weslaco; and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Workforce Solutions, and the Port of Brownsville. Please contact us if you are interested in attending the March 3rd workshop.
For further information, please contact:
Jorge Marquez, The Trust for the Americas, (929) 258-4299 / jmarquez@trust-oea.org
Irma Flores, North American Development Bank, iflores@nadb.org
Information source: NADBank
