Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – More than one-third of all South Texas College graduates who will walk across the stage for commencement are already employed or have jobs waiting for them once the celebrating is over, according to STC leadership.
Announcing the latest graduation numbers at the college’s first-ever Workforce Summit on May 5, STC President Dr. Ricardo J. Solis said the graduate figures are proof that the college’s role is increasing, and the institution continues to respond through innovative ways and different models in education.
“More than one-third of the 3,000 graduates who will walk across the stage for commencement are in the workforce,” Solis told attendees at the Summit. “This is what we are so proud to say. This means they already have jobs. They have already been hired. No higher education institution can say that outside of community colleges.”
The inaugural Workforce Summit was dedicated to providing the most up-to-date information regarding the college’s innovative workforce programs.
Key issues at the summit included pinpointing STC’s role as it addresses serious labor shortages by providing qualified skilled labor for employers. The college sought to promote serious dialogue with partners, which included regional and state-level speakers to identify the workforce needs of the region.
Attendees at the summit included Texas Workforce Commissioner (TWC) representing labor Julian Alvarez; Director of Apprenticeship for TWC Desi Holmes; Workforce Solutions Chief Executive Officer Francisco Almaraz; and Managing Director for Educate Texas Chris Coxon.
STC trustees present included Chair Rose Benavidez and Paul R. Rodriguez.
“We are here to talk about the incredible issues we are facing today when it comes to (the) workforce because never before in the history of higher education has workforce development, especially among community college’s role in an area, been so critical,” Solis said. “Clearly South Texas College is playing an incredible role because the way a community places workforce and higher education among its constituents increasingly determines its economic viability and competitiveness. The bottom line is we need provide more options to our students.”
STC’s Workforce Summit was the college’s initial effort to develop an innovative and energizing way to not only to talk about workforce needs in the region, but to also get employers engaged and identify their needs.
“Workforce development is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart, and it’s part of what I do each and every day,” said Benavidez, who serves as president of the Starr County Industrial Foundation. “We are not just an institution that talks about the problems but works to find solutions to those problems and this summit is a great start for us to begin finding the answers that we need in order to ensure that not just one-third but 100% of our students are graduating with credentials that will allow them to work and earn a meaningful wage and more importantly, allowing them to transform the community. Today this is all about how we can work together to solve the issues that are affecting us.”
STC also announced that it will graduate over 463 combined LVN and RN nurses, more than any community college in the state of Texas.
“One of the great things that South Texas College does is look at ways of making those skill trades more attractive to young adults,” said TWC Commissioner Alvarez. “By listening to employers, which is what you all do, it has certainly accommodated the needs of our workforce. What we are experiencing is this shift in the mindset that to be successful in this great state of ours you don’t necessarily have to have a four-year degree. Many employers are looking at what is really needed, and what skills are needed for these occupations.”
