Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
For the first time in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College, the RGV Partnership, the North American Development (NAD) Bank and Trust for the Americas are joining forces to address and meet the demands of a shrinking water and wastewater workforce through an initiative called Skills for Sustainability (S4S).
Trust for Americas is an organization that empowers underrepresented individuals with the skills to thrive through employability, entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, and S4S is its flagship workforce development initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border, first introduced in El Paso and Cuidad Juarez, funded by NADBank and focused on water, energy and waste management sectors.
Leading training efforts for this initiative, STC’s Carlos Margo, Ph.D., dean for Center for Advanced Training and Apprenticeships (CATA), called this initiative a call-to-action because of the increasing demand for a skilled water and wastewater workforce.
As a result, STC is creating a brand-new Level 1 Wastewater Operator Training program, set to begin in October 2026. The course, still in the planning and design phase, will be accredited through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), include 20 contact hours and offer classroom, lab and internship instruction.
“These trainings are essential, highly relevant and provide career pathways for those who complete them,” said Margo. “At STC, our department is all about workforce training, providing classes across the entire Rio Grande Valley from Starr County to Brownsville. We already work with over 150 employers who request our training to reskill and upskill their workforce with instruction tailored to fit their specific needs. Being part of this initiative is one more way we are expanding our reach and enhancing the RGV.”
As part of Skills for Sustainability, STC will also offer its Heavy Equipment Operator Training program, a 108-hour, comprehensive program that combines classroom instruction with hands-on training with dozers, excavators, skid steers and motor graders, including operation, safety and precision techniques.
The S4S initiative set to launch over the next few months has proven successful with 431 graduates and a 90% job placement rate across El Paso and Juarez, helping El Paso Water close its entry-level staffing gap and enabling career advancement for senior staff.
In the RGV, S4S will serve Hidalgo, Willacy, Starr and Cameron Counties, beginning with 19 incumbent workers at McAllen Public Utilities in backhoe safety, environmental stewardship and workforce readiness. It will also train 30 new participants from low-income communities for entry-level water and wastewater roles and TCEQ certification.
Regional Program Manager at Trust for Americas – Washington, D.C., Lourdes Serrano and Project Manager Jorge Marquez expressed their gratitude to all local partners collaborating in this initiative, including the former Texas Workforce Commission Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez, Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley and local economic development corporations, that will provide strategic support and matching funds.
“We’re going to be seeing at least 30-50% of the U.S. water and wastewater workforce retire within the next decade,” said Marquez. “The core model of S4S will include structured needs assessments, close partnerships, tailored curricula and secured hiring commitments to ensure participants have a clear pathway to stable employment. This will strengthen the regional water workforce by expanding proven, demand-driven training into RGV communities, and with our established partnerships, we can make this another successful project.”
From partnership personalization to placement and reporting, S4S is a 10-month project set to run through January 2027.
For more information on S4S and customized training provided by STC CATA, visit southtexascollege.edu/cata/.
