HARLINGEN, Texas - The evidence and testimony the Rio Grande Valley Partnership is collecting through its RGV Connect series is being shared in Austin and Washington, DC, the group’s CEO states.
Paco Sanchez gave an interview to Ron Whitlock Reports ahead of an RGV Connect event that focused on higher education and workforce. Held at TSTC Harlingen, the discussion featured the analysis higher education leaders such as Ron Garza of UT-Rio Grande Valley, Stella E. Garcia of Texas Southmost College, Carlos Margo of South Texas College, and Gina Cano-Monreal, of TSTC.
“We are going to take information covered at this RGV Connect event, spread it out for public awareness and provide it to the leadership in Austin and DC, so they can see the impact that higher education and workforce is having on our economy,” Sanchez said.
“We want Austin and DC to know the impact the state and federal dollars they send our way are having, that these dollars yield a really strong return on investment.”
Sanchez pointed out that RGVP is hosting its annual RGV-to-DC trip next month. He said the information gathered at RGV Connect events would be used in the meetings with federal agencies and lawmakers in Washington.
“We have a really strong delegation of about 80 folks that are going to be going up with us, and we want to make sure that when we talk to Senator (Ted) Cruz, for example, who chairs a subcommittee on commerce and also deals with workforce readiness, that he knows what is going on down here in the Valley.”
RGV-to-DC takes place June 10-12.
Asked what he hoped to get out of the event at TSTC, Sanchez said: “Well, we really want to highlight the work that our higher education institutions are doing when it comes to the workforce, preparing our residents here in the Valley to take advantage of the new jobs that are becoming into the area, the new industry.”
Asked why the event at TSTC in Harlingen was important, Sanchez said:
“When you look at the educational attainment of our population, our median income… we have new industry moving into the region. Valeo in McAllen, America First Refinery in Brownsville, and everything going on in Cameron County and at the Port (of Brownsville), we want to make sure that we have the proper workforce that can meet those job demands. I think our state and our country in general is shifting its focus to having workforce readiness and educational programs that will upscale our population. As our workforce goes, so will the future of our economy here in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Asked if there was anything else he would like to add, Sanchez said:
“Just to reiterate that the information we gather here will be used to build up our regional priorities for RGV Day in Austin, and make sure that we can highlight our resources when the state representatives and senators come down for the RGV Legislative Tour.”
