BLINN NAMED 2023 TEXAS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALL-STAR COLLEGE AWARD WINNER
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) presented the Blinn College District with its 2023 Texas Workforce Solutions All-Star College Award during its 25th annual conference recently held in Houston.
Solutions All-Star College Award was recognized
during the Blinn Board of Trustees meeting on
Monday.
Front row (from left): Latresia Williams, Brazos Valley
Council of Governments Project Director; Jodi
Cobler, Brazos Valley Council of Governments
Program Specialist; Michael Parks, Executive
Director of the Brazos Valley Council of
Governments; Vonda Morrison, Brazos Valley
Council of Governments Program Manager; Dr.
Mary Hensley, Chancellor of the Blinn College
District; Mary Quisenberry, Director of Blinn’s
Corporate College; Marshall Rich, Dean of Applied
Technology, Workforce, and Economic
Development; Jay Anderson, Vice Chancellor for
Applied Sciences, Workforce, and Economic
Development; and Jim Kolkhorst, Chair of the Blinn
College District Board of Trustees.
Back row (from left): Diane Kettler, Trustee; Rebecca
Ehlert, Trustee; Allison Bentke, Vice-Chair of the
Board of Trustees; Randy Wells, Secretary of the
Board of Trustees; Charles Moser, Trustee; and
Dennis Crowson, Trustee.
(courtesy Blinn College)
The award celebrates a community college, technical college, or Texas engineering extension service whose efforts and partnership improve the Texas workforce system and local community by identifying, creating, and contributing to skills enhancement and training to best support business needs.
“The Blinn College District was chosen for the All-Star College Award because the College is making great strides in positively impacting businesses and the economy throughout the Blinn College service area and the state,” Vice Chancellor for Applied Sciences, Workforce, and Economic Development Jay Anderson said. “The Blinn College District is playing a pivotal role in meeting the workforce needs of the local community and the State of Texas.”
Blinn was recognized for the many ways in which it supports its local business community, including the College’s:
- wide range of technical programs designed to develop specific skills required by various industries, including high-demand fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, skilled trades, and transportation;
- career and technical education programs, which provide students with hands-on training and industry-recognized credentials that open pathways for certifications, associate and bachelor’s degrees;
- Corporate College, which engages with local employers and industry partners to develop and teach curricula that reflects current industry trends and demands;
- transfer pathways, which facilitate the seamless transfer of credits toward bachelor’s degree programs and encourage individuals to pursue higher education while providing them with a cost-effective and flexible pathway;
- Small Business Development Center, a business advising and training center of the University of Houston Texas Gulf Coast SBDC Network serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas;
- and workforce development grants, including the Skills Development Fund Grant, Skills for Small Business, and the Self Sufficiency Fund, to support workforce development initiatives and to upskill the employees of businesses.
“Local partnerships between employers, workforce boards, and educational institutions are critical to the success of the Texas workforce,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “These collaborations allow employers to continue to have the skilled workforce they need and for individuals to get good-paying jobs.”
To learn more about these programs, visit www.blinn.edu/workforce.
(Story courtesy Richard Bray, Blinn Information)