BRAZOS COUNTY COMMITTEE TO DELAY NEW COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROPOSAL

  

The group pushing for a new community college in Brazos County held its first meeting Thursday, following the announcement that Blinn and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service would join together in a workforce training partnership.

Ivan Olson, the Co-Chair of the Brazos Talent Initiative Steering Committee, says that instead of submitting their proposal to the Higher Education Coordination Board in January as they had previously planned, they have decided to wait until the agency's April meeting so the committee could have more time to learn about Blinn's new plans.

The Texas A&M University System, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and Blinn College announced a Memorandum of Understanding last Tuesday outlining their partnership to meet Brazos County’s growing demand for workforce training programs. Per the agreement, TEEX and Blinn will work together to provide training for the targeted occupations identified specifically by the Workforce Solutions Brazos Valley Board and as confirmed by each institution’s market research related to training needs in the Brazos Valley.

The announcement came after the Talent Initiative Steering Committee began circulating a petition in Brazos County, calling for the creation on a new junior college. The group claimed that Blinn College was not addressing the technical training needed by employers in the area.

While there has been speculation as to whether or not the group would continue their push for a new Junior College given the announcement, the committee’s plans have seemed to have slowed for the time being.

In a press release from the Research Valley Partnership, the groups states that “… the committee will continue to engage its academic partners in discussions around the following areas: workforce and technical training, academic excellence, facilities and affordability.”