Gov. Greg Abbott announced that two school districts in Tarrant County are getting $2.2 million in taxpayer-funded grants for job education and specialized training.
The Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grants were spread across five disbursements for Arlington ISD and Keller ISD.
The grants were awarded by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to “support career and technical education (CTE) training programs by helping the schools purchase and install equipment to … train over 1,500 students for high-demand occupations,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Arlington ISD received a $347,933 grant to train 700 students to be registered nurses and a $115,310 grant for 150 students to be trained as automotive service technicians.
Similarly, Keller ISD received a $677,849 grant to train 362 future welders, $651,852 to train 174 future HVAC mechanics, and $410,584 to train 179 future electricians. All the CTE programs at Arlington ISD and Keller ISD stemming from the grants will be conducted in partnership with Tarrant County College.
“These JET grants will help train thousands of students for long-term careers in multiple industries in this fast-growing region,” TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel said, per the release. “The CTE programs provided by Tarrant County schools upskill their local workforce with critical skills that will contribute to the continued success of the Texas economy.”
Additionally, Gov. Abbott noted, “Career and technical education training programs are critical to building the workforce for the Texas of tomorrow.”
“As our state and economy continues to grow, so does our need for highly skilled professionals across a variety of industries,” he said. “I thank the Texas Workforce Commission for their work to build partnerships like these in Tarrant County as we help prepare Texas students for good-paying, high-demand careers.”
The grants come at a time when many public school systems in North Texas are struggling to prepare graduates for life after high school.
Arlington ISD earned a score of 46% for College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) during the 2021-2022 school year. Keller ISD clocked 68% in CCMR. For its part, Dallas ISD scored 59% in the metric, below the statewide average of 65%.
Still, both Arlington ISD and Keller ISD logged significantly better on-time graduation rates than Dallas ISD that school year, graduating 87.7% and 93.4% of seniors in four years, respectively. Almost 20% of Dallas ISD students in the graduating Class of 2022 failed to earn a diploma in four years despite the hard work of the district’s dedicated teachers and principals.