Texas Workforce Commission Highlight 

 

Member Highlight

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the state agency charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas.  For employers, TWC offers recruiting, retention, training and retraining, and outplacement services, as well as valuable information on Texas labor laws and labor market statistics.  For job seekers, TWC offers career development information, job search resources, training programs, and, as appropriate, unemployment benefits.

TWC leads a network of 28 local workforce boards that are dedicated to developing the workforce of Texas.  Through this network, statewide efforts, coupled with local workforce service delivery in communities across the state allow local businesses, education, and community leaders to identify and target where resources can best be allocated.

This network gives customers access to local workforce solutions and statewide services in a single location - Texas Workforce Centers. Primary services of TWC and our network partners are funded by federal tax revenue and are at no cost to all Texans.

TWC's primary source for job training is the Skills Development Fund (Skills). Skills grants provide employer-driven customized job training for Texas employers. For the next biennium, $90 million in funding for Skills was approved to support high quality, customized job training projects across the state.

In 2009, TWC, Howard College, the Concho Valley Workforce Development Board, the City of San Angelo Development Corporation, and the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce collaborated with Martifer-Hirschfield Energy Systems on a Skills Development Fund grant totaling $599,317. This project will train 126 new and seven incumbent employees for a new joint venture between Martifer Energy Systems, which is based in Portugal, and Hirschfield Industries, which is headquartered in San Angelo. The company created from the joint venture will manufacture wind turbine towers to serve the North American markets. The training focuses on high-level production processes, welding, safety, distribution systems, and leadership. Within four years, the company is expected to employ 225 workers and produce 400 wind towers a year. 

In some cases, there may not be robust education and training programs available through TWC training partners to meet a particular skills set of an employer. This is most frequently the case in emerging technology-based occupations. When this occurs, TWC can provide alternatives for training through Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds. WIA funded training differs from the Skills Development Program in that WIA training is focused on training individual workers for demand occupations to meet the workforce needs of such industries in the state.

A case in point of how WIA funds ensured Texas workers met the demand of a growing industry in Texas is the establishment of the Texas Wind Energy Institute (TWEI). Three years ago, when the demand for wind service technicians started growing, several wind farm operators contacted TWC articulating that they were not able to find either the quantity nor quality of technician training required to support their workforce.

In response, TWC worked with Texas Tech University and Texas State Technical College - West Texas to create TWEI, develop curriculum, courses and programs, expand capacity, and recruit and prepare students to meet the workforce needs of the wind energy industry in Texas. The integrated TWEI program offers technician certification, an associate degree and bachelor of science degree in Wind Energy, and a doctorate in Wind Science offered at Texas Tech. The program also offers a graduate certificate in Wind Energy for degreed professionals, to provide mid-career professionals the specialized knowledge needed to move into management of wind energy companies. The vision of TWC and TWEI is to position Texas as the leader in technical, managerial and professional education and development for the wind energy industry.

More information about TWC services and resources may be found on the TWC Web site at www.twc.state.tx.us.


Member Detail

Texas Workforce Commission
101 E. 15th, Room 660
Austin, TX  78711
Website:  www.twc.state.tx.us