April - June, 2018  |  Quarterly Newsletter

 

June, 2017 |  Quarterly Newsletter

2017 Youth Career Expo

Workforce Solutions held the third annual Youth Career Expo on May 17th at H.E.B. Park in Edinburg, Texas. The bright and sunny day was a common sight for spring in south Texas, however the 30 schools representing 20 different school districts from all 4 counties (Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, Cameron) in attendance were the sight to behold. With a plethora of school buses filling up nearly half of the stadium’s parking lot, it was no surprise that the total count for the event attendees hit 2,250.

Joining the students were 150 exhibitors, ranging from the United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) to Foldio 3D Printing Solutions. The diverse atmosphere encouraged students to visit a wide variety of employers to learn more about the nature of their work and even get some live demonstrations to further enhance the learning experience.

Throughout the event Workforce Solutions also had judges visiting exhibitor booths to evaluate who had the best setup for a chance to win cool prizes. The students had a competition of their own, thanks to help from FIRST-RGV. Each school was given the option to register a team to compete in a robotics tournament. From the beginning until the very end, our competitors showed immense determination to see their hard work pay off.

Workforce Solutions was honored to see the relationship between education and the workforce develop throughout the event and hopes to prepare our local youth for the any opportunities that may come their way.

Cyber Security Boot Camp Grant Award  Texas Workforce Commissioner Julian Alvarez visited the Mission Center for Education and Economic Development (CEED) on Thursday to formally announce a $100,000 state grant intended to provide cybersecurity training to Rio Grande Valley residents. About two weeks ago the Mission Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) launched the first eight-week cybersecurity training program with an initial cohort of 40 students. The students will get paid for their time spent in the training and have a chance to become certified as cybersecurity analysts. The announcement of the grant was celebrated alongside the passing of House Bill 728 in the state legislature, which will allow high school students to receive math or science credit for advanced computer science courses. Mission EDC, in partnership with Code RGV and Workforce Solutions, received about 230 applicants out of which only 40 could be selected for the inaugural cohort. Applications were open to residents of Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties. This first group committed to attending classes eight hours per day for eight weeks, which could lead them to receive four certifications from the international vendor CompTIA, which include A+, Network+, Security+ and CSA+. The grant will be used to pay for books, certification, class expenses and pay the participants $500 per month plus an extra $500 bonus if they achieve all four certifications. Even though this is a one-time grant, the plan is to use the results from this pilot program to apply for more grants and continue offering these courses in the future.

Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley Receives Workforce Excellence Award Last year, Workforce Solutions supported Code RGV’s coding boot camp through our partnership with Mission EDC. Supporting science, technology, engineering and math fields is vital to the Rio Grande Valley’s economic growth and industry diversification, and the Texas Economic Development Council has recognized that by awarding us the TEDC 2017 Workforce Excellence Award under the Regional Category (500,001 and Above). “Our TEDC’s Workforce Excellence Award is one of the ways in which our organization honors the outstanding work done by our communities and regions, their leaders, and their economic development professionals in the area of workforce development,” noted Carlton Schwab, President/CEO of the TEDC.” On the continued support of technology and computer science in education, Workforce Solutions CEO Frank Almaraz reiterates, “cyber education and training will lead to a highly-skilled workforce in RGV.” For the full press release, click here.

2017 Workforce Solutions Child Care Symposium 

The annual Child Care Symposium was held on Friday, May 19th through Saturday, May 20th at the McAllen Convention Center. With a colorful range of presenters showcasing skillsets and other valuable teachings, attendees that registered for every session earned a total of seven training hours and .7 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per day.

With nearly 300 child care facilities attending the event, this year’s event was one to remember. Keynote speakers such as Dr. William DaMoe were able to keep the momentum on full swing with their educational yet entertaining presentations. Each reserved room was quickly filled as sessions rotated, with providers excited to see how their next presenter would engage with the audience. 

If you are a parent or provider interested in more information on child care services, visit us online at www.wfsolutions.org, or give us a call at 956.928.5000. A child care assistance waitlist is currently in effect and updated monthly for your convenience. 

Charter Communications Opens First U.S. Bilingual Call Center in McAllen, Texas.   On Tuesday, February 21, 2017, www.TXInternshipChallenge.com officially went live! The initiative serves as a way for Texas to increase the amount of internship opportunities available to our young workforce. The Texas  The Texas Internship Challenge is a statewide campaign geared towards youth seeking internships in professions related to their career. The website portal aims to make internships more accessible to students in Texas and provides a central point for students to seek and earn internship opportunities as a first step towards becoming apart of the workforce and kickstarting their careers. It's not uncommon for youth to struggle finding places of employment where they can earn experience in fields relative to their education. Internships are crucial to building the workforce that Texas needs. We encourage all employers interested in participating to visit www.TXInternshipChallenge.com to register and help shape a brighter future.

Upcoming Events

• RGV Job Fair, July 20th 
• Cyber Security Training (for BOOT Camp graduates only), August 2nd

Copyright © 2017 Workforce Solutions - Lower Rio Grande Valley, All rights reserved.

Workforce Solutions is one of 28 Texas Workforce Development Boards

serving Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties. 

 

Our mailing address is:

3101 W. Business 83 :: McAllen, TX 78501