Workforce Solutions (WFS) recognizes that the Healthcare Industry is one of the largest and amongst the fastest growing in the RGV, with a projected growth of 23.6% by the year 2032 (Lightcast 2022.3). The WFS Healthcare Sector Partnership initiative convenes local industry leaders to have strategic discussions about industry needs, talent pipeline, workforce development, special initiatives or partnerships, and overall economic impact. The objective of the Partnership initiative is to help inform industry leaders about accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities as the industry continues to expand in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). For more information on this initiative, connect with the Business Relations team.
Healthcare Sector Partnership Forum 2024
Join the conversation and learn about workforce initiatives and awards, latest statistics, strategies to alleviate shortages, and talent pipeline alignment. Network with industry experts, educators, businesses, and economic development partners as we shape the future of healthcare together!
View Healthcare Sector Partnership Forum Information 2024
Economic Impact Study of the RGV Healthcare and Bioscience Industry
The RGV Partnership, with financial support from regional hospitals and Workforce Solutions, commissioned UTRGV’s Data and Information Systems Center (DISC) to conduct an economic impact study of the Rio Grande Valley healthcare and bioscience industry. The purpose of the study is to quantify and demonstrate the economic importance of the healthcare and bioscience industry in the Rio Grande Valley. Secondary objectives of the study are to collect wage and salary data on select high growth occupations in the industry, and identify career opportunities to maintain and repair industry equipment.
View Economic Impact Study of the RGV Healthcare & Bioscience Industry
WFS Healthcare Industry Sector Partnership 2022
As a result of the growth in the industry, and the need to have a skilled workforce to meet the demand of employers, WFS established the Healthcare Industry Partnership in August 2015, which is comprised of major healthcare employers, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders within the RGV. The purpose of the partnership is to identify and address healthcare industry challenges, recruitment and training needs, and serves as a forum to explore partnership opportunities.
The WFS Healthcare Industry Partnership has been successful in working collaboratively to leverage resources, explore solutions to common challenges, and building capacity within the healthcare industry. These efforts have earned the Partnership, the Texas Workforce Commissions Industry Outreach Award and resulted in various Healthcare Skills Development Fund Grant Awards. WFS continues to actively engage the Healthcare Industry to align to industry needs.
Healthcare Industry Partnership Meetings
View Healthcare Industry Partnership Meetings Here
Healthcare Industry Sector Initiatives
1. Healthcare Apprenticeships Grant Opportunities
Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential.
Apprenticeships include:
- Paid Careers – Apprentices are paid employees who work while they learn skills that enhance employers' needs.
- On-the-Job Learning – Develops skilled workers through structured learning in a work setting.
- Related Instruction – Improves job-related skills through education in a classroom setting (virtual or in-person).
- Mentorship – Provides apprentices with the support of a skilled worker to assist and enhance critical hands-on learning.
- Credentials – Offers a portable, nationally-recognized credential to be issued at the completion of the program.
The Texas Workforce Commission has dedicated fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) to support the healthcare industry to increase the number of apprenticeship career pathway opportunities for registered nurses and healthcare professionals in the State.
Use the Application Guidelines & Funding Form linked below. Applications may be submitted year-round, or until approved funding has been exhausted.
Forms:
- Healthcare Initiative Application Guidelines & Funding Form
- Healthcare Initiative Budget Form
- Healthcare Initiative Frequently Asked Questions
Submit your complete, signed Application for Funding by email to ApprenticeshipTexas@twc.texas.gov.
Access the Texas Workforce Commission ApprenticeshipTexas grant opportunities for additional resources.
2. Healthcare Training Grants Opportunities
Skills Development Fund Grants
The Skills Development Fund (SDF) is the state’s premier workforce training program to help businesses upskill their new or incumbent workforce. SDF grants provide site-specific, customized training opportunities for Texas businesses and their employees to increase skill levels and wages of the Texas workforce. The Commission’s action authorizes the suspension of portions of the SDF’s rules to allow training grants that would benefit public sector healthcare employers. This action makes up to $5 million available in FY 2022-2023 to support the training of healthcare occupations for these employers
Access the application forms here!
Explore all grant opportunities to train your workforce here!
Free of charge service!
WorkInTexas.com is a powerful online job matching and workforce services system, accessed as a website on the Internet or on an Intranet at a Texas Workforce Solutions office.
It was specifically designed for job seekers, students, case managers, employers, training providers, workforce professionals, and others seeking benefits and services. The system provides fast access to a complete set of employment tools in one website.
WorkInTexas.com offers job seekers immediate and continuous access to job matching services. Even when job seekers are not logged on, WorkInTexas.com continues to match job openings with qualified job seekers and generates notices to alert them to potential job opportunities. Job seekers can also browse thousands of job postings, including all Texas state agency jobs, refer themselves to open positions, complete résumés and/or state applications and maintain them online.
Use your mouse to point and click your way through the online services. This system is designed to be comfortable for everyone, even the person who has little computer experience.
Features to help job seekers and students within the system include:
• Use a professional format to create and send résumés and cover letters to employers,
• Assess your job skills, set goals, and research training providers,
• Review available jobs and apply online,
• Set up a Virtual Recruiter search agent to automatically review job postings and notify you of jobs that match your skills,
• Track your job search efforts and résumés sent in a personal profile folder online,
• Determine a budget and plan for training,
• Research regional labor market information, such as salaries, and
• Use the email/message center to contact employers and your case manager.
Employer users will find the following features helpful:
• Define skills and post job orders to find potential candidates,
• Research labor market information on salaries and economic data,
• Set up a Virtual Recruiter search agent to automatically find candidates within the system that match the job skills of the job order, and
• Communicate with job seekers, case managers, training providers, and others within the system email and message center.
To learn more about WIT and/or other Employer Services, please call your local WFS Business Service Representative today at (877) 687-1121 or send an e-mail to info@wfsolutions.org.
In 2019, WFS reached out to local industry leaders in the field of information technology to assemble an Information Technology (IT) Industry Sector Partnership (ISP) Initiative. The purpose of the Partnership is to initiate strategic discussions between local leaders in the IT sector to improve the talent pipeline, produce skilled IT talent, and attract a larger pool of IT employers. The Partnership will use the IT Workforce Assessment (linked below) data and results to inform regional strategies seeking to improve IT education, job opportunities, salaries and talent availability.
For more information on this initiative, connect with the Business Relations team.
2024 AI in the Workforce Research
In order to understand the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, Workforce Solutions has conducted research regarding the effect of AI on various industries and occupations in the RGV and throughout the nation.
2024 AI Updates
Given the prominence of artificial intelligence throughout the world, Workforce Solutions is actively following news and updates related to artificial intelligence. Please read below to learn more about the Senate's recent AI policy framework which describes the approach and safeguards the nation is taking to implement AI in a safe manner.
2024 IT/STEM Job Fair
In partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Workforce Solutions hosted the annual IT/STEM Job Fair at the CESS Building in Edinburg, TX. Over 200 job seekers explored the job opportunities companies like Zoho, Blue Parrot Software, Texas Regional Bank, MEG Engineers and many others had available as well as participated in a Resume Workshop and drawing for door prizes.
2023 IT Annual Report
Workforce Solutions developed this report about the Information Technology industry in the region to provide a comprehensive overview of initiatives, partnerships, and efforts taken to further develop the IT sector.
2023 IT Industry Sector Partnership Forum
You are invited! The forum is scheduled to take place on October 2, at the Pharr One facility.
The event is open for all IT professionals, business community, and WFS partners.
Presenters will be touching on the following topics:
Agenda - IT Industry Sector Partnership
- City of Pharr IT Updates, by Jose J. Pena, CGCIO, City of Pharr
- How AI Will Change the Workforce, by Daniel Uribe, MSIT & Elena Pacheco, WFS - Presentation
- ChatGPT for Business, by Elizabeth Ramirez, The Lifestyle Biz, Entrepreneur - Presentation
- Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities, by Cecilia Nava & Deidre Scoggins, VR Teacher, Texas Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- The Future of Technology, by Drew Lentz, CISCO
2023 IT Job Fair
Workforce Solutions and the Mission EDC teamed up to host the 2023 IT Job Fair held at the Center for Education and Economic Development (CEED). Over a dozen employers and approximately 65 job candidates flooded the halls and classrooms of the CEED as they shook hands, shared resumes, and networked with peers from the tech community.
2021 IT Workforce Assessment
In March 2021, Workforce Solutions partnered with Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) to jumpstart this effort by conducting an Information Technology Workforce Assessment within the region (counties of Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron), to fully understand the IT industry and the skilled workforce required to support and sustain it.
2019 WFS IT and Cybersecurity Outlook
Workforce Solutions has identified at least 15 IT growing occupations that feed into all sectors of the local economy. For the current year, there is an estimate of 3,335 IT jobs in the LRGV region with an expected growth of 25% by the year of 2028.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in the Workforce
The Lower Rio Workforce Development Board Area dba Workforce Solutions, serves Hidalgo, Willacy, and Starr Counties by contributing to workforce and economic development efforts. The results of this survey will be incorporated into a research project exploring the current state of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in the Rio Grande Valley and its impact on the workforce. Workforce Solutions aims to gauge the overall preparedness among various entities including businesses and organizations to make informed decisions concerning workforce development strategies in the region.
This survey is intended for businesses and organizations in all industries, educational institutions, government entities, for-profit and non-profit entities.
Access Employer Services and Resources
Train your workforce
Interested in learning on how you can assist your employees in upgrading their skills through skills development, apprenticeship, on-the-job training, literacy education, and other training programs for developing highly skilled and productive employees? If so, you've come to the right place!
On-the-Job and Customized Training
On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Customized Training provide unique opportunities for participants who already possess some job-related skills and the knowledge to "learn as they earn". By participating in training as an employee, the participant not only acquires new skills and knowledge, but also receives the same wages and benefits as current employees in same or similar positions. The employer benefits by being reimbursed for part of the participant’s wages during the training period, while having the services of a full-time employee.
To learn more about any of these programs and/or other Employer Services, please call your local WFS Business Relations team, at (956) 928-5000 or via e-mail at BusinessRelations@wfsolutions.org.
Download our OJT Application here and our OJT Fact Sheet here.
Skills Development Fund
As a Texas employer, you are the focus of the Skills Development Fund. As an employer, you provide two things — a desire to collaborate with the other partners involved with the project and the commitment to see the project through to completion. Together, under the Skills Development Fund program, businesses gain a more highly trained workforce, workers upgrade their skills, and the Texas economy is strengthened.
For additional information please contact the Business Relations team, at (956) 928-5000 or via e-mail at BusinessRelations@wfsolutions.org.
Self-Sufficiency Fund
The Self-Sufficiency Fund Program, administered by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), assists businesses by designing, financing and implementing customized job training programs in partnership with public community and technical colleges, a higher education extension service, community-based organizations for the creation of new jobs and/or the retraining of existing workforce. The goal of the Self-Sufficiency Fund is to assist recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), or a parent, including a noncustodial parent whose annual wages are at or below $37,000 to obtain training, get jobs, and become independent of government financial assistance.
For additional information please contact the Business Relations team, at (956) 928-5000 or via e-mail at BusinessRelations@wfsolutions.org.
Apprenticeship Training Program
Apprenticeship is an attractive way to develop a highly skilled and productive workforce. Here are some examples of how your business can benefit:
- Employee skills are tailored to fit YOUR workplace
- Recruitment and retention of a highly qualified workforce
- A proven process for development of knowledge and skills imparted from experienced personnel to apprentices
- Employees trained in new technologies can share information with other staff, giving you a competitive edge
- Skills of a retiring workforce are retained through on-the-job mentoring
- Greater workforce competency and productivity
- Reduced turnover
Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. WFS is currently partnering with South Texas College to provide the following apprenticeships:
- Industry Machinery Mechanic,
- Construction Superintendent/Manager
- Production Technician
- Phlebotomy Technician
- Computer Numeric Controlled Tool Programmers
For more information visit IAM@southtexascollege.edu or call STC at (956) 872-6197 Additional apprenticeship programs can be found on the Eligible Training Provider List at Eligible Training Providers | Texas Workforce Commission
Texas Industry Partnership Program
The Texas Industry Partnership (TIP) program supports collaborations between local workforce development boards and industry partners through the leveraging of matching contributions of cash or qualifying expenditures for occupational job training. Match funds must support certain WIOA activities and focus on six designated industry clusters:
- Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing
- Aerospace and Defense
- Biotechnology and Life Sciences
- Information Technology
- Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products
- Energy
For more information regarding eligibility criteria and how to apply, please contact the Business Relations team, at (956) 928-5000 or via e-mail at BusinessRelations@wfsolutions.org.
High Demand Job Training Grant
The goal of the High Demand Job Training program is to increase high demand job training in Texas communities. Local workforce boards and Economic Development Corporations (EDCs) partner to support their local economy. Funding comes from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and local sales taxes.
For more information regarding eligibility criteria and how to apply, please contact the Business Relations team, at (956) 928-5000 or via e-mail at BusinessRelations@wfsolutions.org.
Train Your Workforce Resources
- TWC Office of Employer Initiatives Flyer
- Grant Initiatives Chart
- Employer Services and Initiatives Catalog
- HDJT Grant Information
- SDF Grant Information
- Skills for Small Business Grant Information
- TIP Grant Information
