A year ago, Delyssa Gonzalez was working as a home health provider in Brownsville. At the time, employment opportunities looked to be limited.
Where Gonzalez is at the present time – training to be an electrician – is unimaginable compared to where she was. It’s a story she told in brief form in front of a crowd recently at the administrative offices of the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement.
“It has been life changing,” Gonzalez told the small audience at the VIDA offices in Mercedes. “There is no where to go but up.”
Inspiring More Success Stories
In attendance hearing Gonzalez was Texas Workforce Commissioner Julian Alvarez. The Harlingen native and the former chief executive officer of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership was there to provide a major funding boost for VIDA in the form of a $350,000 Texas Talent Connection Grant. It is sure to inspire many more success stories like Gonzalez’s. The state grant will provide career training education for 420 students in high-demand occupations. These include allied health, information technology, advanced manufacturing and specialized trades, such as the electrician program.
“You’re providing them with careers, not just jobs,” said Alvarez. “These are great professions. The training being done here is amazing when you look at the opportunities in electrical, welding, plumbing, (and) the healthcare field.”
For VIDA, it’s the first such state grant in over 20 years and speaks to its successes since its beginning in 1995. The VIDA programs provide both tuition assistance and financial support for child care and transportation to students. Those enrolled receive intensive case management attention from VIDA counselors, who hold them accountable to attend classes and training sessions. Students decide which institution they want to attend, be it South Texas College, Texas State Technical College or other area schools. They are expected to graduate on time.
“You’re training to be high-skilled professionals,” Alvarez told students who attended the grant awarding ceremony. “The careers you’re preparing for are in high demand jobs across the Valley and the state.