Employers receive money from State for workforce education

The state of Texas recently approved the establishment of a $25 million Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) fund which will provide community colleges and other training providers with equipment and resources to train workers. JET establishes $10 million in grants for innovative and successful nonprofit programs, $10 million in grants for startup funding for career and technical programs, and $5 million in grants for scholarships for community and technical college students.

The state also recently approved the allocation of $90 million over the next two years for its Skills Development Fund during the past legislative session. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) administers the Skills Development Fund program, which provides state funds to directly respond to the workforce needs of Texas employers, according to the TWC Web site. During the 2008 fiscal year (Sept. 1, 2007 to Aug. 31, 2008), TWC awarded 41 grants totaling $22,772,673, which served 148 businesses, generated 7,984 new jobs and upgraded the skills of 11,705 workers in existing jobs. For Fiscal Year 2009, TWC has $25 million in Skills Development Funds to support high quality, customized job training projects across the state.