Representatives of the Texas Workforce Commission awarded four grants totaling $1.35 million to the college to cover the cost of customized training for employees at 13 businesses. The grant comes from the commission’s Skills Development Fund, according to an April 9 news release from the governor’s office.
The gist
The Skills Development Fund program looks to support businesses through training of existing or new employees in high-demand occupations in fields such as healthcare, accounting and manufacturing, the release states. The program partners with public community and technical colleges, along with workforce boards, to provide customized training for businesses of all sizes.
The program looks to upgrade both the skill level and the wages of Texas’ workforce, according to its website. The grant program has funded training opportunities for more than 4,900 employers and supported over 435,000 jobs in the state since it was created in 1996, the release states.
The specifics
The grant funding will upgrade the skills of 714 currently employed workers and support the training of 130 new hires at 13 companies, of which 12 are located in Collin County. The workforce training generated will total over 26,000 hours.
The grant awards include:
- $478,770 to train 227 new and current employees at two McKinney businesses, Encore Wire Corporation and StatLab Medical Products, as well as AXL. The funding will support nearly 9,600 hours of training in the manufacturing career field.
- $362,157 to train 370 new and current employees at Amphenol Fiber Systems International, Frisco-based Cain Watters & Associates, and two Plano-based companies: Cates Control Systems and Natural Polymer International Corporation. Over 7,100 hours of training will be completed to support employees in the fields of manufacturing and finance.
- $353,072 to train 169 new and current employees at CSG Forte Payments Inc., FlexLink Systems Inc., McKinney-based Netrio, and Portable Solar. Over 6,500 hours of training will be provided for employees in a range of career fields including healthcare, accounting, solar energy, computer systems design services, and more.
- $158,958 to train 78 new and current employees at Helm Dental Laboratory and Plano-based Unicom Engineering. The grant will cover the cost of nearly 3,000 hours of training for occupations in risk management, project management, manufacturing, and more.
In her comments at the event, Mercedes Bolen, board chair of Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas, noted that Collin College has received $4.5 million in Skills Development Fund grants since 2015.
“Workforce is all about creating opportunities, and that's creating opportunities and better lives for individuals, but what that really does is ... creates a better community and better region for all of us,” Bolen said.
Quote of note
“Investing in our workforce is critical for the success of the Texas economy,” Governor Greg Abbott said in the release. “I thank the Texas Workforce Commission for their partnership with community colleges across the state to ensure Texans have the skills they need to thrive in the economy of tomorrow.”
