STC Trustees approve $177K to 2019 SDF grant
State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, along with TWC Commissioner of Labor Julian Alvarez, DHR Chief Academic Officer Dr. R. Armour Forse; and Arcelia Sanchez, Workforce Solutions Strategy and Engagement Deputy Director were in attendance for a $1 million Skills Development Fund (SDF) check grant signing in this file photo on Aug.1, 2019. More than a year later, on Aug. 25, the STC Board of Trustees approved acceptance of an additional $177,447, which will be added to the initial SDF grant awarded to the college.
Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance in partnership with Texas Workforce Commission have reupped a sizeable grant initially given last year to South Texas College for customized training in healthcare areas of the Rio Grande Valley.
On Aug. 25, the STC Board of Trustees approved acceptance of an additional $177,447, which will be added to an initial Skills Development Fund (SDF) grant in the amount of $1,057,620 awarded to the college in 2019.
“STC’s mission and goals of enhancing community and workforce development are achieved best when utilizing partnerships such as this effort with DHR,” said STC Board of Trustees chairman Paul R. Rodriguez. “We place a high value on this collaborative project and look forward to doing more of them with DHR.”
These additional funds expand upon the existing grant to provide customized training in a variety of healthcare areas for 4,000 new and existing employees from RGV Med, LLC (dba Doctors Hospital at Renaissance). The funds will be used for salaries, benefits, tuition, fees, books, instructional supplies, consumables, curriculum development, and equipment.
These funds increase the total amount of the SDF grant award to $1,235,067.
“These additional funds will allow STC and DHR to provide additional training to DHR employees to help them upgrade their skills and knowledge,” said Director of Continuing and Professional Workforce Education, Olivia De la Rosa. “As we have seen during this time of crisis, medical professionals work tirelessly to serve our community and they can do that best through continuous learning.”
The additional funding adds to a grant initially approved by STC trustees on Feb. 26, 2019. That original grant was celebrated with a check signing ceremony at the college’s Nursing and Allied Health Campus on Aug. 1, 2019.
The funds marked the 27th SDF grant awarded by TWC to the college, and the second grant in partnership with DHR.
For more than two decades, the Skills Development Fund grant program has assisted employers with customized training needs. Through SDF in 2018 TWC awarded 50 Skills Development Fund grants totaling almost $24 million to 90 Texas businesses, supported the creation of 4,682 new jobs, and upgraded the skills of 11,494 workers in existing jobs.
“We are grateful to TWC for making these funds available to us,” De La Rosa said. “The SDF program has allowed us to provide businesses with training that they may otherwise be unable to provide for their employees. A well-trained workforce benefits not just the business but the community at large.”