Texas Border Business
PHARR – The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) awarded Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA ISD) with a $269,624 grant that will offer training and equipment to students who are interested in pursuing careers in technical education. An official presentation was recently held by the TWC and RGV Partnership on April 16, 2021.
The TWC awarded a total of 11 grants amounting to $2.7 million to school districts in the Rio Grande Valley to purchase and install equipment to provide training for over 1,000 local students for careers in welding, health sciences, manufacturing, and other in-demand professions.
“We are grateful for this generous grant that will help us continue ensuring our students have the best resources necessary to achieve the highest levels of success,” said PSJA ISD Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “This grant will help provide additional equipment for our automotive program.”
The Jobs and Education for Texans grant program allocates funds each biennium to defray start-up costs associated with developing career and technical education programs at public community and technical colleges, and independent school districts. Equipment funded through JET grants must be used to train students for jobs in high-demand occupations.
Through the grant, the district will purchase equipment that can be used for hands-on classroom instruction and training, individual study and practical advanced troubleshooting technology. Equipment includes aligners, air compressors, transmission jacks, A/C recovery machines, wheel balancers, transmission oil exchangers, tire changers, and diagnostic kits.
“PSJA’s Automotive Technology Career & Technical Education program is fortunate to have received this grant. The funds received were used to purchase equipment that will provide our students with the opportunity to learn and practice necessary skills in this pathway,” said PSJA Career & Technical Education Director Adriana Garcia. “Creating such hands-on learning labs will also support students enrolled in our automotive dual credit program with our partner STC.”
Among the PSJA CTE courses the district currently offers in partnership with South Texas College are Automotive Basics, Automotive Technology I: Maintenance and Light Repair, Principles of Transportation Systems and Automotive Technology II: Automotive Service. Graduates of the PSJA Automotive Technology program are typically placed in dealerships, independent garages and specialty automotive repair facilities and quick service shops. Courses taken to complete the Certificate Program can be applied toward completion of the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Automotive Technology.
The equipment will be housed at the two large automotive shops located at the Dr. Daniel P. King PSJA College & University Center in San Juan and will be available to service all students from all seven high schools at PSJA ISD.
 awarded Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA ISD) with a $269,624 grant that will offer training and equipment to students who are interested in pursuing careers in technical education.){kind=link}