While many parts of Texas have been greatly affected by various types of disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey and now the COVID-19 pandemic, rural areas experience a more long-term hurt than urban areas. But, thanks to Prairie View A&M University’s new Rural Workforce Academy, change and opportunity have arrived.
The Rural Workforce Academy, a collaboration of the U.S. Economic Development Administration Department of Commerce and Prairie View A&M University, the City of Prairie View and Langetree Retreat and Ecocenter, will offer training and certification led by industry experts in the areas of welding, electrical installation and service technician, core construction and nursing assistant.
“Being able to have people who are qualified and trained in these different skills in the workforce is going to be incredible,” City of Prairie View Mayor David Allen said. “We always encourage developers to utilize local resources, but if we don’t have trained workers, there is not much we can do. This program is going to open up the opportunity to actually offer those developers trained, local workers who are able to take on and complete the job.”
Mayor Allen, along with many others in the community, is hopeful that this program will address the rebuilding and recovery efforts of Liberty and Waller counties by bringing the necessary tools and training to create much needed jobs for residents in these communities.
“Being able to give a skill set that people can utilize toward working and being productive is going to create change throughout the entire county as well as surrounding counties,” Mayor Allen said. “For our residents to have this type of life-changing training is literally invaluable.”
This pilot program will aid in an already established long-term recovery plan for Texas rural counties by lending to the goal of economic resilience. It contributes to the efforts of engaging more with surrounding communities by bringing training and expertise to the unemployed and underemployed rural residents.
“It is programs like this that create jobs,” College of Agricultural and Human Sciences Dean and Director of Land Grants Programs Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., said. “And jobs create what is known as multiplier impacts in the community by increasing income, increasing output and increasing economic development. These factors build the engine that will drive the economy and make the state even more successful in terms of economic growth and development.”
He believes this program is an example of how land grant universities like Prairie View A&M honor their mission to advocate for underserved populations as well as those with limited resources.
“For people who do not intend to go on to college, this is an ideal career path,” D’Souza said. “Being a land grant university means we are here to serve the needs of the people, and given the confluence of hurricanes and now the pandemic, which create a lot of displacement, this type of program can give people a leg up and help uplift the community while also contributing to economic growth. At the end of the day, it is about impact, making a difference in people’s lives and serving the needs of our communities.”
Jimmy Henry, Program Leader for the Community and Economic Development Unit at Prairie View A&M, believes this program is an opportunity to meet the needs of high demand jobs in the area by providing the training necessary for them. But he also believes this program can grow to be much more.
“I am excited about the start of this program, but I am even more excited about where the program can go,” Henry said. “We don’t have plans to stop here. We want to continue growing The Rural Workforce Academy and help as many people in our community as we can.”
