Thank you so much, Dr. Rodriguez, Thank you to everyone for attending. It’s an honor to be here back in my home area, the Rio Grande Valley. I did attend Texas Southmost College, and graduated with an associate's degree back in 1986.
So, it's been a while, but like everybody else has said, is it's never too late to learn. We are always learning. And at the Texas Workforce Commission, we're honored to present five JET grant awards to some outstanding recipients. This is going to be an investment not only in the students in our area, but the communities that we serve and our workforce.
These five grants are going to be instrumental in training students in healthcare and welding, two industries that are in desperate need of a skilled workforce and workers that can help our area and our economy.
I get to see behind the curtain, if you will, as a commissioner representing labor. And what I mean by that is I see the work that goes into presenting these grants. A lot of times, I get the credit, but it's not me. It's all of you that actually put in for the grant. If y'all didn't put in for these grants, we wouldn't be here today.
It's the staff at Texas Workforce Commission that do the hard work to figure out and ascertain who is next to get these grants. Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley, Frank Almaraz and his team. Workforce Solutions Cameron, Mr. Raphael Vela and his team. And our own Texas Workforce employer engagement and community outreach specialist, Nestor Lopez - instrumental here in the Valley to make sure that the funds come where they're needed.
And that is right here at home, where we will keep instructing and training our workforce and our young students.
In the first year, 2,100 students will be educated in the healthcare and welding industry. And it will give these students not just an opportunity to earn a job that has good wages, but it will give them stability, and it will give them the power to have a career where they can get investment.
So it's very important to me to make sure that everybody has that opportunity here in the Rio Grande Valley.
So with that, Texas Workforce Commission is proud to present these grants to the five recipients and their education partners, and I want to thank each and every one of you for coming here today and being the leader that you are this community to make sure that we keep our Texas economy strong, especially here in the Rio Grande Valley.
So with that, I will now present the checks to the recipients. (Applause).
Editor’s Note: The above commentary was presented by Albert Treviño, III, the Texas Workforce Commission commissioner representing labor, at a JET Grant check presentation event held Aug. 20, 2025, at Texas Southmost College. The Mr. Rodriguez Treviño was referring to was Jesus Rodriguez, president of Texas Southmost College.
Editor's Note: Click here to read and watch the Rio Grande Guardian’s first story from the event.
