April 30, 2020 – Local businesses retooling their products and workforces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible to receive free training through Collin College thanks to $10 million in Rapid Response Grants from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
The TWC set aside money from its Skills Development Fund last week to offer fast turnaround grants of $50,000-$250,000 for training related to the COVID-19 response. The grants support two groups of businesses adversely affected by the pandemic. One group includes businesses that have changed their primary focus or are increasing output to attend to COVID-19 issues, such as chemical companies and alcohol manufacturers, which are now producing hand sanitizer. The other is targeted to businesses whose employees require additional training to meet needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as a smaller staff necessitated by social distancing measures or restaurants and hotels that need additional sanitation and safety training.
Applying for the grants will be a simplified process compared to other skills training grants so that the businesses who need training assistance for their full-time employees can receive it as rapidly as possible, according to Natalie Greenwell, director of Grants Management for Collin College. The Texas Workforce Commission expects training, offered in distance-learning formats to encourage social distancing, to begin within 30 days of grant applications.
To learn if your business is eligible, contact Susie Davisson at 972-985-3745 or sdavisson@collin.edu.
Collin College serves more than 59,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, including new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity (BAT) degrees. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. In addition, the college operates the Collin Higher Education Center, which has an enrollment of more than 3,300 each year in partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Tech University and the University of North Texas. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.