EDINBURG, Texas – Region One Education Service Center has produced a video to explain the work it and other entities are doing to eliminate the skills gap in South Texas.
The video shows footage of an event held to announce Region One as a “regional convener” on behalf of three state agencies, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission.
“We’re teaming up with workforce and education leaders to pave the way for high-quality career and education pathways in the region,” Region One stated, when it unveiled the video. “To kick off our work as Regional Convener, we officially designated an advisory board to assist in developing a strategic plan of action.”
Eliza Alvarado is Region One Education Service Center’s director for partnerships and career pathways. In the video, Alvarado states:
“We are really excited today because we’re here with the Tri-Agency Regional Convener Grant and what we’re doing here is we’re looking at different issues in the region and trying to create pathways that align to the industry. So we’re able to provide our students with good careers after they’re done with their educational experience,” Alvarado said.
“I think one of the big tasks that we’re going to take on as a board is filling the gaps that are needed around the region and understanding what those gaps are. Also analyzing all of our assets and understanding what we can work with and how we can make it better for our students and for the industry.”
Alvarado added: “This is a great initiative for all of the different stakeholders, and we’re really excited to get the work started. And ultimately creating a strategic plan that we can then implement.”
Francisco Almaraz, CEO of Workforce Solutions, also speaks in the video.
“We’re going to start developing a strategic plan as we move forward and we’re going to get input from all the different organizations to make sure that we are all working in the same direction; to provide valuable support and have a successful outcome,” Almaraz said.
“I look at it as an economic development ecosystem where we bring a lot of organizations that are going to have to be part in order to improve the economic development and to be sustainable and resilient, to be able to survive and grow.”
Editor’s Note: The Rio Grande Guardian posted two previous stories about the Regional Convener project. Click here to listen to a story with Region One’s Eliza Alvarado. Click here to read a story featuring Pat Hobbs, executive director of Workforce Solutions Cameron.
Editor’s Note: Here is the new video from Region One:
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