Governor Greg Abbott today announced four Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant awards for a combined $944,203 to Austin Community College and Bastrop Independent School District (ISD) by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to support career and technical education (CTE) training programs. These grants will help the schools purchase and install equipment to initially train over 1,600 students for high-demand careers in the welding, carpentry, automotive service, and nursing industries.

"The State of Texas continues to invest in educational opportunities that provide a path toward good-paying careers for young Texans in critical fields that keep Texas the No. 1 economy in the nation," said Governor Abbott. "I thank the Texas Workforce Commission for ensuring educational institutions in areas across the state—from rural communities to urban centers like Austin—receive funding to further career and technical education training programs. Working together, we are unleashing the full potential of Texas' growing, skilled workforce to meet the needs of tomorrow's economy."

“Both Austin Community College and Bastrop ISD are creating programs to help fill urgent needs in the Texas workforce,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “This is a great opportunity for students to start on a trajectory for success with high-demand jobs and for employers to find the skillsets they need to keep the Texas economy strong.” 

TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson presented the awards at a ceremony today that included local officials, school staff, and CTE students at Austin Community College’s Highland Campus.

Austin Community College will use the $331,722 grant to purchase and install equipment to train students in orbital welding technology. The equipment funded through the grant will be used to initially train 300 students, with additional students to be trained in the future.

Bastrop ISD has been awarded three grants:

$146,722 for equipment to train an initial 500 students in carpentry

$205,316 to train an initial 600 students as nursing assistants

$260,443 for equipment to train an initial 231 students as automotive service technicians and mechanics

Through funding provided by the Texas Legislature each biennium, TWC uses JET grants to defray start-up costs to develop career and technical education programs for the public community, state and technical colleges, school districts, and charter schools. Equipment funded through JET grants must be used to train students for jobs in high-demand occupations.

Visit the JET webpage for more information on the program.