Texas Border Business
MCALLEN, TX (April 4th 2017) – South Texas College will host a grant closing ceremony for Project HIRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) at Region One in Edinburg on Friday, April 7th, 2017 at 9:30am. The program’s closing ceremony will include remarks from South Texas College, Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) executives, and will recognize all partners and students that have been part of the program. Attending guests will have the opportunity to revisit the last five years of Project HIRE through personal testimonies, photos, and slideshows.
Since 2012, Project HIRE has assisted 52 students with developmental disabilities (ages 18-25) in Hidalgo County to pursue a certificate level degree at South Texas College in McAllen, and find employment during the grant period of January 2012 to April 2017. Out of the 52 students, 25 students have successfully graduated and 13 are currently working in the community.
Project HIRE has served a group of students with a variety of severe disabilities including autism, intellectual disabilities, deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, speech disorders, and other neurological disorders. These are students who would not have otherwise had the opportunity to successfully attend South Texas College without the support of Project HIRE. The program was geared to not only ensure disabled students access to college, but to get the students through college with the outcome of achieving success by earning their degree.
Awarded to South Texas College, the 5-year, $1.25 million grant, funded by Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, is coming to an end in April. Although the grant period has come to a close, Project Hire is currently seeking additional funding to allow the program to continue at STC. There are currently 19 students with developmental disabilities still in the program along with an extensive number of South Texas College students with developmental disabilities that would greatly benefit from the program.
