North Central Texas College and Tarrant County College have partnered with GE Manufacturing Solutions to provide an all-expense paid job skill training program. Thanks to the Skills Development Fund of the Texas Workforce Commission, 275 GE employees will get to participate in 160 hours of training that will develop specific trade skills to help prepare them for a new job or promotion. Workers will be taught welding, blueprinting, electrical, metallurgy and workplace safety to prep them for either the GE mining equipment facility or the locomotive manufacturing facility.
The Skills Development Fund has a pool of $48 million to disperse between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2013 to aid and support local businesses, trade unions and workers. The grant allows for up to $500,000 to be spent for any single business that develops a partnership with a Texas community college to provide relevant job skills and professional training. GE was given almost $750,000 in grant money to provide skilled workers for two separate lines of business. Since the fund started in 1996, almost $250 million in grants have been awarded to more than 3,500 businesses to train over 230,000 workers.
“There is a strong demand for individuals with different skill sets,” said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. “At the heart of making sure that our companies have what they need are our community college systems across the state. Thank you to Tarrant County College and North Central Texas College for being associated with this grant. We really value what you do in aligning with the needs of our current employers, but also making sure that we are anticipating and responding to those we are inviting to come into the state.”
For more information on how the fund works, visit the Skills Development Fund page at the Texas Workforce Commission. Pamphlets and forms are available for colleges and businesses interested in taking part in the project.