The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills for Small Business program helps businesses with less than 100 employees train new workers or upgrade the skills of current workers. Since the program began, TWC has allocated $2 million in funding to support collaborations between Workforce Solutions partners and small businesses. Small businesses account for 97% of employers in Texas. In recognition of National Small Business Week, we’re celebrating our state’s 483,430 private-sector employers with fewer than 100 employees and sharing their success stories through the training received through grants from Skills for Small Business to improve the skills of their employees and build a stronger workforce throughout the state. Davidson Oil Company – Amarillo, TX
- The Davidson Oil Family of Companies received a Skills for Small Business grant in partnership with Amarillo College. By attending the project management course, project managers and team managers learned the skills needed to complete projects on time, on budget, and meet deadline goals as well as speak and understand the universal language of project management. “We have recently successfully added a fourth and fifth entity to the Davidson Oil Family of Companies using the skills learned by participating in the market development course and several employees have also become forklift operator certified,” said Amy Ross, Learning and Development Manager at Davidson Oil." Not only are our employees developing their own skills, which is a great engagement tool, we are seeing more productivity in our workforce, better decision making and more effective communication occurring.”
Diamond Enterprises – Ranger, TX
- Ranger College received a Skills for Small Business grant to provide training identified by area business and industry. The training is provided at no cost to qualifying industry. Training topics may include certification-based training such as: forklift operator, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), QuickBooks, welding, machining and hydraulics. “The ability to compete for specific contracts require we provide and document required certification-based training, such as HAZMAT [hazardous material] and respiratory protection” Says Domingo Perez, CEO of Diamond P Enterprises. “Ranger College scheduled the grant-funded training in a weekend format, which allowed our employees to take advantage of the course. Gaining the HAZMAT certifications allowed us the opportunity to retain existing jobs, and add new employees. In addition, this training allows additional opportunities in today’s global market for our expansion into the distribution and warehousing for manufacturers and vendors nationwide.”
Solar CenTex – Killeen, TX
- Solar CenTex, now a Solar Power World Top-500 national solar contractor, trained its initial workforce through a Skills for Small Business grant. Partnering with Central Texas College, Solar Centex took military veterans from the adjacent Fort Hood and trained them on basic and advanced solar photovoltaic installation skills. “I knew I had great people with the right character, but I needed to get them the right training and solar-specific skillset. The SSB [Skils for Small Business program] and Central Texas College helped us get there,” said Scot Arey, Founder and Owner of Solar Centex. “These same first-on-board employees are now our senior leaders four years in. They have continued to grow as the company has. It all started with the training they received.” Solar CenTex recently opened another office in San Angelo and is ready to use additional Skills for Small Business training to enlarge its workforce.
Through the Skills for Small Business grant program, eligible small businesses can receive up to $1,800 in training for each new worker and $900 for each existing worker for classes offered at their local community and technical college. Employers seeking more information about the Skills for Small Business program, including applications and information about how to apply, may visit the TWC website at www.texasworkforce.org/ssb.
