Texas Workforce Commission awards South Texas College more than $1.3 million in grants
Texas Border Business
MCALLEN, TEXAS – Welcoming representatives from Texas Workforce Commission, state lawmakers, and leaders in the business and healthcare communities, South Texas College president Dr. Shirley A. Reed lauded what she termed a “million dollar morning” for the college.
TWC awarded STC three grants totaling more than $1.3 million on Friday Jan. 11. The award included a $249,096 Job and Education for Texas (JET) grant, $655,153 to the Healthcare and Social Assistance Consortium at STC to create and upgrade 1,167 jobs, and $409,890 to the college’s Manufacturing Consortium to create and upgrade 205 jobs.
Special guest speakers in attendance at the grant included state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Ruth Hughs, chair of Texas Workforce Commission; Irma Vento, Human Resources manager at Woodcrafters Home Products; and Teresa Johnson, education department at South Texas Health Systems.
“Please know how grateful we are for all the partnerships who are represented here today,” Hughs said the event. “On behalf of myself and fellow commissioners, we are so very proud of these investments because we see their impact across the state. We see the success and that these are investments that you can only take advantage of if everyone at the table is participating.”
The JET Grant will be used to provide equipment for the Computer Information Technology Program including the purchase of a Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device that will train students in forensic techniques and collection of evidence.
Grant partners involved in the SDF Healthcare grant include United Health Systems and two colleges, Southwest Texas Junior College and Laredo College. Under the grant, UHS’s local affiliate under the name South Texas Health System which includes local hospitals Cornerstone Regional Hospital, Edinburg Regional Medical Center, Edinburg Children’s Hospital, McAllen Medical Center, McAllen Heart Hospital and two ER centers in Mission and Weslaco will train registered nurses, mammography technicians, emergency room technicians, housekeepers, CNAs and a variety of occupations.
STC’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IAM) will provide SDF Manufacturing grant business partners, Wood Crafters Home Products and TST NA Trim with training for quality assurance and industrial maintenance in automation with an overall regional impact of over $1.3 million, according to TWC commissioner Hughs.
“By working together, we are growing the economy of this Valley,” said STC President Dr. Reed. “We know that no one does this alone. This is a collaboration, and all of us share in the commitment that we are able to do such great things. This is a million dollar morning, not bad for a cloudy day.”
