The Brownsville Herald
It’s gratifying to see that cooler heads prevailed and Texas A& M University, along with Texas State Technical College, will establish a job training program for tenants at the Port of Brownsville.
Plans to sign a memorandum of understanding between the port and the institutions had been tabled last month after Texas Southmost College voiced its opposition to the agreement.
TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez said that his college could provide all the job training the port needs and deserves primary consideration because it is based in Brownsville and the two entities are supported by the same local taxpayers. After an exchange of letters between Rodriguez and A& M System Chancellor John Sharp, Sharp suggested the university might back out of the deal.
Fortunately it didn’t, the MOU was signed and the training program is back on track.
TSC and the port already have their own MOU for similar job training. Talks with A& M began informally during a workforce summit held this summer at the port. Officials at A& M, one of the nation’s top engineering institutions, suggested that they could help provide training for new industries that are expected in the near future, such as natural gas distribution plants and a steel mill.
There’s nothing wrong with educational institutions fighting over business. And the issue goes beyond competition for potentially lucrative programs.
A strong argument can be made for expanding job training programs at TSC, since most of its students live in the area, and the 5.8% local unemployment rate is significantly higher than the national average of 3.7% and state average of 3.4%. More job training opportunities can help reduce the gap by training local students for port jobs.
At the same time, utilizing Texas A& M’s resources could benefit port industries in ways that TSC can’t. To begin with, there’s no guarantee that enough Brownsville youth will want the kinds of jobs and training the MOU will provide, and TSTC’s 13 campuses across the state give port industries recruitment opportunities that the local college can’t provide.
The preference has always been to offer such opportunities first to local residents, but recruiting beyond the region isn’t always a bad thing. People who relocate to the Valley for new job opportunities bring new investment in the local housing market. They are new taxpayers who will help feed our economy, support our businesses and add to our culture. Those who already live here usually don’t provide such a large initial jolt of new resources when they take new jobs here.
We trust that any competition between the colleges will spur innovation and improvement, and that it won’t preclude the opportunities that surely will arise for them to cooperate on research and other issues when the opportunities present themselves.
Doing so will benefit the schools, port industries and, most importantly, the Rio Grande Valley as a whole.
It’s gratifying to see that cooler heads prevailed and Texas A& M University, along with Texas State Technical College, will establish a job training program for tenants at the Port of Brownsville.
Plans to sign a memorandum of understanding between the port and the institutions had been tabled last month after Texas Southmost College voiced its opposition to the agreement.
TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez said that his college could provide all the job training the port needs and deserves primary consideration because it is based in Brownsville and the two entities are supported by the same local taxpayers. After an exchange of letters between Rodriguez and A& M System Chancellor John Sharp, Sharp suggested the university might back out of the deal.
Fortunately it didn’t, the MOU was signed and the training program is back on track.
TSC and the port already have their own MOU for similar job training. Talks with A& M began informally during a workforce summit held this summer at the port. Officials at A& M, one of the nation’s top engineering institutions, suggested that they could help provide training for new industries that are expected in the near future, such as natural gas distribution plants and a steel mill.
There’s nothing wrong with educational institutions fighting over business. And the issue goes beyond competition for potentially lucrative programs.
A strong argument can be made for expanding job training programs at TSC, since most of its students live in the area, and the 5.8% local unemployment rate is significantly higher than the national average of 3.7% and state average of 3.4%. More job training opportunities can help reduce the gap by training local students for port jobs.
At the same time, utilizing Texas A& M’s resources could benefit port industries in ways that TSC can’t. To begin with, there’s no guarantee that enough Brownsville youth will want the kinds of jobs and training the MOU will provide, and TSTC’s 13 campuses across the state give port industries recruitment opportunities that the local college can’t provide.
The preference has always been to offer such opportunities first to local residents, but recruiting beyond the region isn’t always a bad thing. People who relocate to the Valley for new job opportunities bring new investment in the local housing market. They are new taxpayers who will help feed our economy, support our businesses and add to our culture. Those who already live here usually don’t provide such a large initial jolt of new resources when they take new jobs here.
We trust that any competition between the colleges will spur innovation and improvement, and that it won’t preclude the opportunities that surely will arise for them to cooperate on research and other issues when the opportunities present themselves.
Doing so will benefit the schools, port industries and, most importantly, the Rio Grande Valley as a whole.
9 comments:
This entire matter was terribly mismanaged by both sides. It is hard for me to feel for TSC when it is in complete denial of its roll in this matter and mess.
But it irks me, TSC and everyone attacking this always fail to note the Brownsville community is the big winner because the training facility is in Brownsville.
I am not happy with TSC being left out, especially since they have so much space ready to go. I am not happy again the local taxpayers have to pick up the tab for building a campus for a state owned facility. But TSC mishandled this so now we should be happy it will be located in BRownsville. Can the city get its act together and insure buses run to the facility?
Bobby WC
Job training to work WHERE??? The mechanic and paint shop programs has gone no where. The illegals are getting hired and the student with a certificate of completion of their program are not hired. They pay the illegals 40 dollars a day plus lunch. Students that graduate can not compete.
SO TELL US WHERE ARE THE GRADUATING STUDENTS GOING TO WORK????
All the educators are doing is padding themselves and their pockets, there is nothing to proof them wrong and they get away with it....
Where is a survey where are the statistics on purpose they didn't do any studies, just an idea they thought of when they were sitting on a toilet.
Over 75% of the employees at the port are from Tampico Mex. not a single student from TSC or any other program offered here is working at the PORT.
The question here who is benefiting.
"It is gratifying to see that cooler heads prevailed..." GREAT opening line.
Also good to see that TSC is still in the mix.
together great things can happen....
Now. Let's BUILD this thing...with or without my tax dollars. Just Build It.
The Port is a $3 Billion business. Yet we still pay taxes to them. Why?????
Whenever aggies are involved projects go south.
This also ran in McAllen
I love it when McAllen (upper valley) leadership looks in utter disbelief at our leadership actions/disbelief
A dozen church leaders have been indicted for allegedly luring homeless people into forced labor.
Are they also starting a training center here?
Give them what they want tax the shit out of them and than we'll double our pay. Is that what they're doing here...
This is a creature with SIX dicks the city, the county, the port, the schoo, the college, and PUB and he's using all of them to screw ALL the taxpayers. GRACIAS GUAY...
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