State funds to boost Rockport-Fulton ISD welding program

Eyeing career and technical education, Rockport-Fulton ISD has sought and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds.

This week, the Texas Workforce Commission presented the district with about $315,500 to support its welding career and technical education program through the commission's Jobs & Education for Texans grant. The grant will help the district serve over 125 students.

This comes a year after the district received about $658,000 through the JET grant program to train students as water vessel pilots in its growing maritime program.

For the next grant cycle, the district is considering ways to support its nursing program.

"We've taken care of maritime and now we've taken care of welding," Rockport-Fulton High School principal Ashleigh Bible said. "We're hoping to make our nursing program more robust."

The recent welding JET grant will be used to upgrade the school's welding lab, Bible said.

"In order to make our welding shop as industry-ready as possible, we need a new ventilation system," Bible said. "They're also creating more welding booths for our students and the last piece is we need some electrical work."

This project is necessary as the school prepares to partner with Del Mar College for an early college high school program focused on welding and nursing pathways, Bible said.

The district also recently received a $100,000 grant to launch the Pathways in Technology Early College High School program.

Current seventh graders will have the opportunity to go through the full P-TECH program, earning credit and potentially a degree from Del Mar College by the time they complete high school.

Bible said when considering career and technical education programs, the district considers local job opportunities.

"We look at the workforce needs around Aransas County whenever we're making these types of decisions," Bible said. "One of the big workforce needs that we have is the welding component. We will also having a nursing program that we partner with Del Mar on because that is another high-need area around the county."

The district worked with Del Mar College to review the grant proposal, according to a news release from the college.

"Rockport-Fulton has long been one of the many high schools in the area that offers dual enrollment courses in partnership with Del Mar College, so, we are very familiar with their excellent welding program,"” Del Mar College Executive Vice President and chief operating officer Lenora Keas said in the release. "This JET grant will put at students’ fingertips the instruction and equipment they need to be professionally trained and career-ready."

Gov. Greg Abbott also shared a news release about the Rockport-Fulton ISD grant award.

"We are proud to invest in the next generation of hardworking Texans to further expand the Texas economy," Abbott said in the release. "This job training grant will provide Rockport Fulton ISD students with the skills they need to succeed in their careers as welders and thrive in our great state."

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Here's how Rockport-Fulton ISD is growing career and technical program