Governor Greg Abbott announced four grants totaling $1,327,075 awarded to schools in West Central Texas to fund career and technical education programs in nursing and welding.
The Jobs and Education for Texans grants, administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, support the purchase and installation of industry-standard equipment to train students for high-demand occupations. The four recipients are: Cisco College received $305,614 to train 76 students in licensed practical and licensed vocational nursing; Graford Independent School District received $312,299 to train 50 students as welders in partnership with Texas State Technical College–Breckenridge; Ranger College received $355,063 to train 200 students in licensed practical and licensed vocational nursing; and Texas State Technical College received $354,099 to train 30 students as welders.
The grants help schools defray startup costs for developing and expanding career and technical education programs at public community colleges, state technical colleges, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. Equipment funded through the grants must be used to train students for occupations identified as high-demand by the state.
"Training on industry-standard equipment immediately gives students a competitive edge in the job market and signals to local employers they are ready for hire," said Joe Esparza, chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission.