TSC, Carling get grant for training, hiring

An international manufacturer with a local plant partnered with Texas Southmost College to receive a $115,203 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission on Wednesday.

The Carling Technologies Brownsville facility will use the funds to hire five new employees and work to boost the technical skills of 74 current employees, an official said. TSC will provide the faculty to train the workers on the job as they fabricate the components of switches and breakers to be sent to other plants.

“Every job we can retain and create is absolutely crucial to the economy,” State Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, said. “I’m excited to be putting our money where our mouth is.”

With the rhythmic sound of machinery working behind him at the plant, Oliveira said he was one of the legislators who years ago worked to create the TWC’s Skills Development Fund through which the grant was awarded.

TWC Commissioner Andres Alcantar was on hand to sign and present a check for the funding, while city officials and TSC trustees sat in the audience. Alcantar is one of three appointed TWC commissioners. He represents the public, while the other two represent employers and laborers.

“We’re glad the state has made an investment in our area,” State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito, said. “We know funds are not quite what they used to be. ... I know this is an opportunity to grow jobs in Brownsville.”

Carling Technologies employees who complete the training will receive a 2 percent pay raise to earn an average hourly wage of $14.74, Jim Holt said. He is associate vice president and dean of workforce training and continuing education at the University of Texas at Brownsville and TSC.

Holt said the training will be completed by Nov. 30 and will consist of 15 courses totaling 346 hours.

To remain competitive in a global market, he said, classes will cover a range of subjects from CPR to advanced manufacturing and computer-aided design, all part of an effort to improve productivity and product quality with a higher skilled workforce. According to a press release, those trained will include buffing machine tool setters, press room set-up technicians and quality-control technicians.

Plant manager Francisco Miranda said part of his company’s commitment to the grant was to allow their employees to be taught while on the clock and set up a classroom at the facility. The plant, at 3734 International Boulevard, currently employs 82 people. Miranda said the average time an employee has been with the company is 12 to 15 years.

Elsa Martinez, Carling Technologies senior human resources administrator, said paperwork for the funding was submitted last year.

“We’re here now. It’s unbelievable,” she said of the grant. “A lot of people don’t know what we do here. They just pass us by. We’re in our own little world.”

Alcantar said the TWC Skills Development Fund is a customized response to what businesses in different communities need to keep Texas’ competitive edge.

“We have challenges all across the state and country,” he said. “My commitment is sitting at the table with you.”

During the Wednesday event there was no mention of UTB, though some university employees were in the audience and were recognized for their help. TSC and UTB continue to transition to the end of their partnership.

This past fall, grants were a sore spot when several TSC trustees questioned the seemingly low number of grants sought on behalf of TSC, though the community college paid for 50 percent of grant writers’ salaries.

Any contention about who applied for what grants was not evident on Wednesday as TSC President Lily Tercero spoke about the funding.

She turned to the state elected officials present and said: “Representatives, we promise you there will be more.”