A consortium of petrochemical businesses has partnered with Victoria College to provide job training using a $1,825,385 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The businesses partnering in the grant include Alcoa Inc., E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., Formosa Plastics Corp., INEOS USA LLC, Seadrift Coke LP and Union Carbide Corp., a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co.
The grant will be used to custom train 618 new and incumbent workers for industry recognized certifications related to process efficiency, quality production and safety. Those trained will include plant operators, engineers and technicians. Upon completion of training, the workers will earn an average hourly wage of $33.10.
From the program’s inception in 1996 through 2012, Skills Development Fund grants have created or upgraded more than 286,000 jobs throughout Texas. The grants have assisted 3,901 employers with their customized training needs. The Legislature appropriated $48.5 million to the Skills Development Fund for the 2012-13 biennium. Employers seeking more information about the Skills Development Fund may visit the TWC website at http://skills.texasworkforce.org.