Employers, educators bridging the skills gap in the Valley

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The "Classrooms to Commerce: The Economic Power of Education in the Rio Grande Valley” event in McAllen was held, where educators and employers are partnering to bridge skill gaps and prepare students.

The goal is to help students and adults wanting to continue their skills for in-demand careers through updated training and initiatives. Council for South Texas Economic Progress CEO Adam Gonzalez says the region as a whole is doing good in attracting new companies as they seek land and resources the Rio Grande Valley offers.

“When a company comes here, there will be somebody to help them," Gonzalez said. "A school would jump in and create programs for them and their workforce pipeline.”

However, they are also looking for skilled laborers. South Texas College President Dr. Ricardo Solis says they are implementing many programs to assist companies wanting to move here.

“This is what is known as stackable credentials in certificates, short-term programs," Solis said. "This is where it's all going now. It is not only for the young students coming out of high school, but we are seeing a large transition of adults wanting to come back to the workforce, or they want to upgrade or upskill and reskill.”

Solis and others say there continues to be a number of challenges in the Rio Grande Valley. One of the biggest is the continued cultural shift of many young men entering the workforce right after high school instead of studying.

“It's important because I think it helps bring businesses and universities together," said UTRGV President Guy Bailey. "We need each other. They need us because of the people we produce. We need them to help understand what kind of people we need to produce.”

Another is the brain drain due to a lack of good-paying jobs and benefits in the area, and finally, helping students choose the right major to study. However, companies are working with local colleges and universities to fix these issues.

“Local banks came up to us and said, 'Look, we need people prepared to be financial advisors at our banks,'"Bailey said. "'Can you help us?', and so we did this master's degree together. We also have a cyber program that started several years ago, again, based on the needs of local businesses.”

The Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects (I-LinCP) that hosted the event also announced that they were creating their first chapter in the region.

Founder and CEO Carol Warkocewski says will allow architects, engineers, and other professionals to visit local schools and make those connections with even the youngest of children.

“We want to introduce those to K through 12. To teach kids in various ways to do that. school visits, just summer programs, internships, you just, you know, building with Legos," Warkocewski said. "That's how I started. My interest was with Legos when I was a little kid. “

Right after the conference was over, the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects formed its local chapter and elected its first set of leaders.