Texas Southmost College announced plans to develop a TSC South Padre Island Workforce Training Center to meet the growing labor demands of Cameron County and the greater Rio Grande Valley.
TSC board Chairwoman Adela Garza, Trustee Edward Camarillo and the college President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez recently returned from a conference in Washington, D.C. where U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Brownsville, encouraged TSC to submit a $1 million grant proposal to transform an Island facility into an operational Texas Workforce Training Center.
The proposed site is adjacent to the U.S Coast Guard Station on the South Padre Island.
Its transformation into the second TSC Workforce Training Center in Cameron County emerged during discussions with Cornyn and Gonzalez at the Association of Community College Trustees in the nation’s capital.
“Being an active member of the ACCT and the Hispanic Caucus Committee allows us to bring a voice to the educational and training needs in our community. This is a significant step toward creating a path for additional careers in the Rio Grande Valley,” Garza stated in a news release about the proposal.
Rodriguez and Camarillo said the envisioned expansion would come at a critical time. Rapid industry growth across Cameron County is creating workforce shortages in high-demand fields, they said in the release.
“In recent years, with the rapid expansion of industries in Cameron County, there has been a need for more workforce training,” Rodriguez said. “Right now, jobs such as pipefitting, welding and a variety of jobs in the healthcare industry are in great demand, and we are in a good position to bring in students, train them quickly, and help them with a job upon completion of their training.”
The Association of Community College Trustees hosts one of the most significant professional development events for community college leaders nationwide. The conference provides legislative updates, strategic sessions addressing workforce development, student success initiatives, economic mobility, and regional industry partnerships.
“If approved, the TSC South Padre Island Workforce Training Center would expand access to industry-aligned training programs while strengthening TSC’s role as a workforce engine for the Rio Grande Valley,” Camarillo said.
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