A new two-year, $25 million initiative providing grants and scholarships for career and technical education to meet future workforce challenges has been announced by the State Comptroller's Office. Funding for the program was made available by the 81st Legislature. Every Chance Funds (ECF) will help supplement costs for job training and two-year degree programs in high-demand technical fields. Those high-demand degrees include: Computer, Information Sciences and Support Services; Engineering Technologies; Science Technologies; Construction Trades; Mechanical and Repair Technologies; Precision Production; and Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences.
The program is discussed in a recent edition of Texas Government Insider, a weekly publication of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Three categories of money will be made available through ECF: a $10 million Job Building Fund to help finance equipment purchases, a $10 million Launchpad Fund to support nonprofit programs with solid performance records and a $5 million Career and Technical Scholarship Fund that will supply money for approved training programs.
The ECF initiative arrives after a report released last December detailing a widening chasm between the skills required by today's job market and the number of graduates trained with those skills. The report, known as Texas Works, outlines how many Texas businesses have had a difficult time placing skilled technical workers. Dwindling enrollment in vocational programs has led to the worker shortage.
In response to recommendations listed in the report, the 81st Texas Legislature created and established the ECF. To view the report, click here.
The comptroller's office will award several ECF grants by the end of the year. Applications for those grants will be available early next month. For more information, click here.
It is nice to know that they are focusing in degree programs that are highly in-demand. It is going to be a big help!
Posted by: how to apply for government grants | August 24, 2009 at 12:43 AM