State Training Grants

Plano businesses are eligible for training grants from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills Development Fund. The Skills Development program enables businesses to receive customized training for existing employees or for programs tailored to develop critical skills for new hires.

A business may be eligible to receive a training grant by partnering with a community college, technical college, or other institution of higher learning. Training grants are awarded through the educational community, and are used to define and create training programs geared toward increasing the skills and experience of the local workforce. Programs can be customized for a particular business requirement or to develop new skills for future industry needs.

In fiscal year 2009, Skills Development Fund grants created or upgraded 19,516 jobs, which paid an average hourly wage of $24.44. These grants assisted 170 Texas employers with their customized training needs. The Legislature appropriated $90 million to the Skills Development Fund for the 2010-11 biennium.  Grants for a single business may be limited to $500,000.

Collin College has received ten Skills Development Fund grants totaling over $7 million in the past ten years. Most recently, the college was awarded $808,000 from the Texas Workforce Commission. This grant is being used to develop a variety of training initiatives for Collin County businesses that have requested specialized training for their employees. (8/25/10)