Governor Greg Abbott Joins Texas A&M System Leadership to Announce New Advanced Workforce Training Program in the Coastal Bend

The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Leads the Program

CORPUS CHRISTI – Governor Greg Abbott today joined leaders from The Texas A&M University System at a press conference at the Port of Corpus Christi to officially kick off the new Texas A&M Coastal Bend Occupational Advanced Skills Training (COAST) program, which is led by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX).

The COAST program is an expansion in scope of TEEX’s highly successful Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub (RAMI) in Brownsville and will help Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend-area businesses develop a highly skilled workforce for local, in-demand jobs in areas such as chemical and petroleum manufacturing, fabrication, maritime shipping and heavy equipment training, among other areas.

“Thanks to Chancellor Sharp and Texas A&M for helping Texas train a highly skilled workforce and to provide employers with the best workforce in America,” said Governor Abbott. “Texas is growing rapidly, businesses are moving or expanding here, and the Coastal Bend is in the early stage of explosive growth. Businesses here need highly skilled employees—and they are willing to pay for it. With the help of Texas A&M, our state is dramatically increasing jobs and skills training programs across the state. The program announced today by Texas A&M will provide the experience and training for skills like cybersecurity, robotics, and pneumatics and develop skills like communication, collaboration, and leadership. I thank Texas A&M for helping us with our mission to provide better jobs and bigger paychecks for Texans across our great state.”

At its August meeting, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents allocated approximately $15 million to renovate the third floor of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Chaparral Building in downtown Corpus Christi into a 15,000 square-foot classroom and laboratory space to house TEEX’s COAST program.

“Thanks to Governor Abbott’s laser focus on building the Texas economy through strategic workforce initiatives, it was an easy decision to expand TEEX’s successful program in Brownsville and plant it here in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend, where the A&M System already has a strong presence,” said A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. “The co-location of the COAST program with other A&M-Corpus Christi offices aligns with the A&M System’s goal of investing in the Coastal Bend and providing training and educational opportunities that respond to the needs of the people of Texas and contribute to the strength of our state’s economy.”

“TEEX focuses on responding to the critical needs of our state, which includes providing advanced workforce training to help communities like the Coastal Bend and its citizens become more prosperous,” said David Coatney, TEEX agency director. “In Brownsville, we have awarded over 18,500 industry-recognized professional workforce certificates since RAMI’s inception in September 2021, and we expect the workforce training programs at COAST to be similarly successful.”

Employees at Corpus Christi Gasket and Fastener, Inc. (CCG), a family-owned business since 1945, have already participated in one of COAST’s heavy equipment operator training programs.

“When we learned about the COAST program and that TEEX training would be offered right here, we were immediately interested,” said Melanie Colwell, CCG vice president. “We started with forklift training, and we look forward to enrolling our employees in other courses to help keep them safe and prepared for in-demand positions, energizing local businesses and our economy.”

As part of this program, TEEX also will collaborate with public school districts in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas to promote careers and workforce training available to students in the Coastal Bend Region.

For more information about the TEEX training opportunities at COAST, contact Bill Rohrman, TEEX Project Manager, at [email protected].

To watch a recording of the press conference, visit: COAST Press Conference on Vimeo

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 
Vita Vaughn, Cell: (979) 402-7810; Email: [email protected]

Regents Establish the Texas A&M Coastal Bend Occupational Advanced Skills Training Program

Distributed by:
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service
Vita Vaughn | Director of Marketing and Communications/CMO
[email protected]