NACOGDOCHES TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER RECOMMENDED
NACOGDOCHES, Texas (February 11, 2010) — Raymond Hartfield, AT&T’s Education Industry Practice Manager, presented his Needs Assessment report for the proposed Nacogdoches Technical Training Center at NEDCO’s February 11 board meeting. The report recommends the establishment of a technical training center physically located in Nacogdoches County.
The study was performed at the request of the Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) as a way to address the needs of local employers for basic technical skills, as well as to provide meaningful job and career skills for the 70 percent of our high school kids who do not go on to college. It is envisioned that the technical training center would offer training is such areas as welding, HVAC, automotive technology, electronics, and other basic manufacturing and construction skills.
“Whenever you ask an employer their No. 1 challenge, they will tell you it is finding enough skilled employees,” said Ed Pool, NEDCO Chairman. “We have to come up with a solution to this problem if we want our existing businesses to be able to grow and prosper. We have to be able to help our existing businesses if we hope to be able to attract new business and jobs to Nacogdoches County.”
The idea for a workforce technical training center came out of discussions from NEDCO’s Workforce Committee, which includes representatives from local employers and educators, including SFASU, Angelina College, NISD and Woden ISD. The Needs Assessment was commissioned by NEDCO last summer to validate the requirement for the training center and was conducted, at no cost to NEDCO, by AT&T.
“If 25 percent of our county residents have a college degree, that means that 75 percent don’t,” said Bill King, NEDCO President/CEO. “A technical training center that teaches basic manufacturing and construction skills will enable these folks to pursue a career that pays a decent wage and allows them to raise a family and otherwise enjoy a middle class lifestyle that Americans rightly see as their birthright. After all, these kids will be a major part of Nacogdoches’ workforce for the next 40 years and we owe it to them, as well as to ourselves, to make sure they possess skills our employers need.”
The next step in the process will be to come up with a facility to house the technical training center. NEDCO’s goal is be in a position by the end of 2010 to either break ground on a new facility or retrofit an existing building.
