BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Thousands of jobs are available in Cameron County at this moment but the workforce is not yet ready yet grab them, says a local workforce development leader.
Pat Hobbs, the outgoing director of Workforce Solutions Cameron, is looking to establish a pathway so the area’s younger population can find good paying careers in the fields of health care, manufacturing and construction.
Hobbs believes getting a technical degree is more cost effective and less time consuming than getting a four-year education from a university, depending on the subject.
With that objective in mind, Workforce Solutions Cameron has received a $600,000 grant from the state to develop a framework for a viable pathway for students in eighth grade and above.
So on Wednesday Dec. 13, about a half dozen organizations met at the main International Bank of Commerce building in Brownsville to explore the alternatives for executing a work force plan.
“It’s important to find out where we are at,” Hobbs said. “The jobs are there but the workforce is not qualified.”
He said decades ago people used to say that anyone without a four-year college degree was not going to get ahead. But, he said, that mindset needs to change.
But just look at the jobs available today, Hobbs said.
According to data gathered by WSC, three industries have been targeted as having the most potential for job creation. They are manufacturing, health and construction.
A total of 8,357 job postings were logged from November 2022 to November 2023, in which 5,633 were in healthcare, 1,191 in manufacturing and 803 in construction.
The top employers in that order were:
- HCA Healthcare, Valley Baptist Medical Center, and Harlingen Medical Center.
- Space X and Rich Products Corp.
- Bechtel, Keppel AmFELS, and Roto-Rooter Service.
Yes, Roto-Rooter, a company founded in 1935 in Cincinnati to handle tree roots and other obstructions in sewer lines.
The revelation caught the attention of Rafael Vela, the new executive director of WSC, as he expressed surprise over not knowing about the company.
As far as wages are concerned, the targeted industries pay median hourly wages ranges from $18 to nearly $25 an hour, depending on the job.
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by representatives of the UT-Rio Grande Valley, Texas State Technical College, Brownsville Independent School District, Harlingen Economic Development Corp., Region One Education Service Center, Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp., RGV Focus, Leadership Empowerment and the Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the Associated General Contractors.
Editor's Note: Keppel AmFELS is now known as Seatrium AmFELS.
