Tag Archives: Texas Workforce Commission

TWC Funds Hundreds Of STC Apprenticeship Candidates

South Texas College is the recent recipient of an Apprenticeship Texas Expansion Grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The $593,934 grant allows for the largest expansion of apprenticeships ever funded by a single grant. With the grant, STC will create 297 new apprentices, as well as create seven new registered apprenticeship programs and two new pre-apprenticeship programs this fall. Registered apprenticeship programs through TWC are paid internships. The programs are defined…

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TWC & STC Support Future Architects

Texas Workforce Commission recently presented South Texas College with a $204,058 Jobs and Education for Texans grant. With the funds, STC will purchase and install equipment in the Architectural Engineering Design Technology program. It will also supply hands-on training for up to 130 students in the program. TWC Commissioner of Labor Julian Alvarez joined STC President Ricardo J. Solis and Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. at a special check signing ceremony…

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TWC Takes Action to Address Healthcare Worker Shortages

healthcare

The Texas Workforce Commission recently voted to suspend multiple program rules that only allowed private sector apprenticeships and limited Skills Development Fund grants to private industry, citing public necessity with a critical shortage of healthcare workers. These changes will permit the agency to provide funds to train apprentices and other employees in public sector healthcare occupations previously exempted from participation. “This is another vital step in bridging the middle skills…

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“Texas Interns Unite!” To Build Internship Connections

The Texas Workforce Commission recently debuted a new internship initiative, Texas Interns Unite! at a press conference in Austin. The initiative emphasizes the benefits of internships while also connecting interns across the state with Texas employers and each other. In partnership with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and TXWORKS Internship Program, this initiative will allow interns the opportunity to build relationships and strengthen industry connections. If an employer or an intern…

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TWC Awards $661,560 For Cameron County Career Training

welding, JET grant

The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded two Jobs and Education for Texans grants to support career training in the Cameron County area. TWC awarded Harlingen CISD $332,500 to help the school purchase and install a fire training simulator to initially train 130 students for careers in firefighting. The agency awarded Brownsville ISD $329,060 to buy welding equipment to initially train 130 students for careers in welding. The equipment funded through these grants will…

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Texas Unemployment Rate Declines to 4.4 Percent

RGV Job Fair

In March, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. This is a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from February 2022. It is also two percentage points below the level set one year ago. Texas added 30,100 total nonagricultural jobs in March 2022. For the fifth consecutive month, the state set new employment highs as total nonfarm jobs, reaching 13,207,600 in March 2022. Texas has added a total of…

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Agency Provides Services For Deaf In RGV

Members of the Silver Silent Seniors Program from the Corpus Christi and McAllen Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centers joined Center staff and interpreter interns from South Texas College and The University of Texas Pan American at the RGV Livestock Show and Rodeo March 11. (Photo courtesy of Marla Martinez.)

Driving down Pecan Boulevard in McAllen, you may miss the homelike office bearing the sign “DHHC.” The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center is one of two in Region 11, which covers 22 counties from Corpus Christi to Laredo.  “In Hidalgo County alone, over 200,000 residents have hearing loss,” said Marla Martinez, the deaf and hard-of-hearing access specialist and center coordinator in the Rio Grande Valley. The DHHC provides a…

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Early Childhood Services Website Launches For Texas Parents

early childhood

The Texas Workforce Commission is launching the Early Childhood Texas website, a streamlined resource for Texas parents to access information about available early childhood services available through various Texas agencies. The new website serves as a one-stop-shop to connect Texas parents with access to a variety of free or low cost services and resources available through different state agencies and different programs. “In the past, I have spent hours researching for…

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TWC Increases Child Care Relief Funding

child care

The Texas Workforce Commission has approved an additional $1 billion in direct support for the Texas child care industry. This increases available funds for the 2022 Child Care Relief Fund to a total of $3.4 billion — with an estimated average award of over $250,000 per provider. In addition to the $1 billion for CCRF, the Commission has also approved an additional $75 million aimed to defray startup costs for…

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Texas Unemployment Rate Falls

employment

In December, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from Nov. 2021. Texas added 50,000 total non-agricultural jobs over the month, making gains in 19 of the last 20 months. For the month, the state reached another record employment level with 13,059,600 jobs. Texas has added a total of 694,400 positions since Dec. 2020. “Seeing a second consecutive month of record-setting employment,…

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