$1,264,845 grant will train hundreds in NE Texas
Published or Revised September 02, 2008
Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development Fund Director of Workforce Development Larry Jones presented a check for $1,264,845 to Paris Junior College, Northeast Texas Community College and Texarkana College during a ceremony celebrating the creation of the Regional Advanced Manufacturing Academy in Mount Pleasant Friday, Aug. 29. The academy will serve 14 industries in the colleges' service areas. "One of the important roles of Paris Junior College is to serve the business and industry of this area," said PJC President Dr. Pamela Anglin. "This grant represents a partnership between three colleges and industry in this region that will provide training to improve the workforce within this part of the state. We're ready to do whatever it takes to help the region's industry and we want to share our talent and expertise with those industries to boost economic development. We're proud of the project and proud to be a partner with Texarkana College and Northeast Texas Community College." The Skills Development Fund program assists businesses and trade unions by financing the design and implementation of customized job training. PJC and the other partners worked for three years to secure the grant. Eight of the 14 participating industry partners are located in the PJC service area. The grant will assist in the creation of 85 new jobs and upgrade the skills of 624 existing employees. For PJC's service delivery area, these numbers include 49 new and 296 upgraded jobs. When presenting the check, Jones stated, "This is the most successful grant application we've seen in the past two years. A criterion in reviewing grant applications is for the partnerships involved, and I take great pride in having the three community colleges, industries and the local workforce board involved. It presents a real model for others in the state to follow." Participating industries listed by location include: [b]Paris:[/b] Kimberly-Clark Corp., Campbell's Soup, Sara Lee and Harper Corporate Services. [b]Sulphur Springs:[/b] Flowserve, Morningstar Foods and Ocean Spray. [b]Mount Pleasant:[/b] Priefert Manufacturing, Dekoron Wire & Cable, SpeedyMac Fab and Diamond C Trailers. [b]Texarkana:[/b] Alcoa Mill Products, International Paper and JCM Industries.