Houston Daily

Governor Greg Abbott has announced the allocation of career training grants amounting to over $580,700 to three schools in the Metroplex region. The funding is intended to prepare students for high-demand jobs post-graduation. These Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants, distributed by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), will aid in developing career and technical education programs by enabling the purchase and installation of necessary equipment. This initiative aims to initially train more than 280 students for careers as medical assistants and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

“Texas’ booming economy is built by our hardworking and highly skilled workforce,” stated Governor Abbott. “These grants will empower hundreds of students in the Metroplex region to go directly from graduation into high-demand, good paying careers . Texas is—and will continue to be—the land of freedom and opportunity, where Texans can chart their own path in the better job and bigger paycheck opportunities that we provide in our great state.”

Bryan Daniel, Chairman of TWC, added: “Today’s JET grant awards will allow hundreds of young Texans to train to fill in-demand occupations like medical assistants and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Career and technical education programs are helping close the skills gap and create new career paths."

The announcement was made at a ceremony held at Collin Higher Education Center, where TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Joe Esparza presented the awards with state and local officials along with school staff present.

The specific allocations include a $144,827 grant awarded to Collin County Community College District for training 101 students as medical assistants; Dallas College received $164,293 to train 108 students as heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers; Denton Independent School District was granted $271,638 for training 72 students as heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in collaboration with North Central Texas College.

Funded biennially by the Texas Legislature, JET grants assist public community colleges, state colleges, technical colleges, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools with start-up costs associated with developing or expanding career-focused educational programs. Equipment purchased through these grants must serve the purpose of training students for jobs classified as high-demand occupations. Announcements regarding JET grant awards for the current fiscal year are anticipated in upcoming months.