Business Breakthrough to Be Announced at the Giddings Workforce Summit Nov. 14
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, Texas Workforce Commissioner Aaron Demerson, Blinn College Chancellor Mary Hensley, and the City of Giddings have a secret, but they are waiting to announce it at the Giddings Workforce Summit.
The luncheon event is scheduled for Nov. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Silo’s Event Center on Hwy. 77 in Giddings. “Existing businesses in the Central Texas region have been discussing the critical need for motivated and trained employees, and prospective new businesses are looking to move to an area that can provide the most productive work force,” explains David Stedman, president of the Giddings Economic Development Corporation (GEDC). “I’m excited that Senator Kolkhorst and Commissioner Demerson have listened and responded to our business community and engaged with Blinn College and the City of Giddings to form an exciting new working relationship with our business community. We have been collaborating on a number of initiatives and have some exciting news to announce at the Summit,” Stedman says.
Blinn College’s Vice Chancellor Jay Anderson, Dean Karla Flannagan and Dean Becky Garlick recently travelled to the GEDC to meet with Giddings Mayor Joel Lopez, April Daniels of the Smithville Workforce Training Center, and Kelly Moreno of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area at the offices of the GEDC.
“It was exciting to brainstorm with so many dynamic individuals and organizations. Chancellor Hensley has challenged and encouraged Blinn to be major force in creating targeted workforce solutions and the city of Giddings has welcomed our participation,” Anderson said. Mayor Lopez adds that, “Giddings is ideally located for business, but in this economic environment, it’s all about work force. We are excited to have Blinn College here, and we are grateful for the leadership that Senator Kolkhorst and Commissioner Demerson have shown in bringing workforce agencies, talent, and resources together to make Giddings a great business location.”
Stedman points out that Jeff Owen, the CEO of Kaemark Manufacturing, has received employee facilities maintenance and leadership training, working with Blinn in Giddings.
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA) CEO Paul Fletcher will also participate in the Giddings Workforce
Summit and offer a local labor market update. Fletcher’s team has moved into a larger office in Giddings to expand opportunities to empower residents with industry-tailored skills training, job matching, and early learning scholarships to support working families. WSRCA was recently awarded a $12,087,373 grant for its new skills development initiative, Rural Employers Infuse Vital Economic Success in Texas (REINVEST), to enhance workforce opportunities in high-demand occupations in communities within its workforce development area.
WSRCA is one of only 32 industry-led workforce training partnerships across the country to be awarded the prestigious grant as part of the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge funded by President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan. To bolster local upskilling investment efforts, Fletcher presented a $4.8 million grant to the Smithville Workforce Training Center to roll out REINVEST training scholarships in Giddings. The scholarships aim to ensure that rural employers have a highly educated and skilled workforce and that residents have the competencies, skills, and education to become self-sufficient and live a quality life. WSRCA’s Director of Community Engagement, Kelly Moreno, and Director of Contracts, Chris Meyers, are working closely with Smithville Workforce Training Center Director April Daniels, as well as GEDC and the Giddings Chamber of Commerce, to customize the REINVESTfunded skills training. The goal is to match the training to the needs of Giddings employers and provide participating students with a direct path to local employment opportunities once they earn their nationally recognized industry credentials.
Blinn College offers credit bearing curriculum, apprenticeships, and industry specific skills training. Established in 1883, the Blinn College District offers academic transfer, workforce training, and continuing education classes for more than 17,000 students. With a wealth of online courses and five unique campuses, Blinn’s two-year curriculum ranks among the nation’s leaders at transferring students to top four-year universities. Blinn has received national recognition for providing affordable educational excellence for students.
The Smithville Workforce Training Center provides high-quality certification programs intended to build the capacity of the broader rural community, linking training to jobs that pay a living wage. Coordinators seek input from local businesses to find out what kinds of skills and training they require of new hires and speak with students and prospective adult trainees to find out what they want to learn to meet their life goals.
This assures that the programs are co-created solutions that address the needs and aspirations of the people who are central to building capacity in the workforce.
Denice Harlan, Director of the Giddings Chamber of Commerce believes, “The Giddings Workforce Summit is a breakthrough for Giddings and for Central Texas. The Chamber is partnering with the Giddings Economic Development Corporation to deliver value for Giddings businesses.”
Stedman adds that, “We are excited to be able to announce some truly exciting new initiatives at the Summit. With educational partners like these, support from our elected officials and the leadership of Senator Kolkhorst, businesses will soon be flocking to Giddings because they know they’ll be getting the support they need to expand and thrive in today’s economy.”
The Giddings Workforce Summit is a collaboration between the GEDC and the Giddings Chamber of Commerce. The Summit is open to the public and will offer resources for employers, students, and job seekers.
Business sponsorships, as well as individual tickets to the event are available from the Giddings Chamber of Commerce at chambergiddings@gmail.com or by calling (979) 542-3455.