North Texans who may be changing professions — or who might have lost their jobs during the pandemic — will get help learning new skills thanks to grants going to local colleges and universities.
On Friday, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded $18.1 million to 49 institutions as part of the first round of awards intended to support displaced workers.
The Texas Reskilling Support Fund Grant Program is for those who need to “reskill” or “upskill” to re-enter the workforce or those who had left higher education to return and finish their programs, according to a news release from the board.
“It really is that true partnership between higher ed and the workforce that recognizes the value of a degree, not only for individual purposes, but also for financial and economic reasons,” said Barbara Lerner, the vice provost for undergraduate studies and academic partnerships at Texas Woman’s University.
The funds will help support students who are close to completing their chosen programs, as the money can only be used for one year, Lerner said.
TWU was one of six colleges in the area that applied for the grant as part of a consortium. The other schools are North Central Texas College, Texas A&M University-Commerce, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Dallas and Collin College.
“The metroplex has been different from many areas of the state in that we recognize the transitory nature of our students,” she added. “We have students that have attended multiple community colleges and, in fact, multiple four-year institutions. Because of that, we’ve developed a more collegial rather than competitive atmosphere — we recognize that there are plenty of students to go around.”
Because of that collegial spirit, Lerner said, the schools are communicating with one another about how to use the $1.3 million award they collectively received.
John Walls, vice president of communications for UT-Dallas, said in a statement that the school is looking forward to assisting students whose college careers have been “delayed or upended” by the coronavirus.
UT-Dallas is working to identify 75 students to encourage them to return to school in the spring and fall by offering scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500, Walls said.
The program is funded in part by federal coronavirus aid given to states in March. About $175 million of that was allocated to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief Fund.
Other local schools receiving money include Dallas College, $1.5 million; Tarrant County Community College, $112,500; and the University of Texas at Arlington, $112,500.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board opened applications for the second round of funding on Friday.
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