The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded three Jobs and Education for Texans grants totaling $872,543 to three Central Texas schools, Governor Greg Abbott and the agency announced Sept. 3.
The grants will help the schools buy and install equipment for career and technical education programs, initially training 75 students for high-demand occupations including automotive service technicians and nurses, according to news releases issued the same day by the governor’s office and TWC.
Austin Community College received $331,387 to train 50 students as automotive service technicians and mechanics with an electric vehicle specialization. Hearne Independent School District received $344,985 to train five students as registered nurses in partnership with Blinn College. Lometa ISD received $196,171 to train 20 students as licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses in partnership with Central Texas College.
“Texas leads the nation in growth, and it is essential that students have the skills they need to secure high-paying jobs,” Abbott said in the release. “These grants will provide students with valuable training and resources to launch successful careers.”
TWC Chairman Joe Esparza said the arrangement pays off for employers as well as students. “When students learn on the modern equipment used in hospitals and service centers, they enter the workforce with confidence and transferable, marketable skills that employers value,” Esparza said. He presented the awards at a ceremony at Austin Community College’s Riverside Campus attended by state and local officials and school staff, joined by TWC Workforce Development Division Director Mary York.
The JET program is funded by the Texas Legislature each biennium and is used to defray start-up costs for new or expanded career and technical education programs at public community, state and technical colleges, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. Equipment purchased with the grants must be used to train students for high-demand jobs. TWC said awards for the current fiscal year have not yet been announced and will be published in the coming months.