AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 44) – Some Central Texas school districts are among nine across the state to receive grants from Governor Greg Abbott.
Gov. Abbott announced Thursday that ten Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants totaling more than $3.3 million were awarded to nine schools in the Borderplex, North Central Texas, and Heart of Texas Workforce Development Areas by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). According to the Governor’s Office, these grants will support career and technical education (CTE) training programs by helping schools purchase and install equipment to initially train over 1,000 students for high-demand occupations – including bioengineers, computer user support specialists, welders, registered nurses, mechanics, and medical assistants.
TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Alberto Treviño III presented eight of the awards at a ceremony attended by state and local officials, school staff, and CTE students at Navarro College in Corsicana. These eight JET grants include:
- Fairfield Independent School District (ISD): a $471,408 grant to train 130 students as welders in partnership with Texas State Technical College.
- Groesbeck ISD: a $749,293 grant to train 127 students as welders in partnership with Navarro College.
- Maypearl ISD: a $696,605 grant to train 126 students as first-line supervisors of mechanics in partnership with Navarro College.
- Navarro College: a $349,999 grant to train 129 students as welders.
- Oakwood ISD: a $146,968 grant to train 80 students as welders in partnership with Navarro College.
- Rice ISD:
- a $40,030 grant to train 76 students as registered nurses in partnership with Navarro College.
- a $45,785 grant to train 79 students as maintenance and repair workers in partnership with Navarro College.
- Wortham ISD: a $69,538 grant to train 30 students as medical assistants in partnership with Navarro College.
The Governor’s Office says that TWC Executive Director Edward Serna also presented the remaining two awards at a ceremony attended by state and local officials, school staff, and CTE students at El Paso Community College. These two JET grants include:
- Triumph Public High Schools: a $330,665 grant to train 126 students as computer user support specialists in partnership with El Paso Community College.
- Ysleta Independent School District: a $490,808 grant to train 110 students as bioengineers in partnership with El Paso Community College.
The Governor’s Office says that through funding provided by the Texas Legislature each biennium, TWC uses JET grants to defray start-up costs to develop career and technical education programs for the public community, state and technical colleges, school districts and charter schools. Equipment funded through JET grants must be used to train students for jobs in high-demand occupations.
You can learn more about TWC’s JET grant program here.
