W O R K F O R C E
R E S O U R C E S
Texas Reskilling Grant helps Texans get back to work.
by SAVANNAH KING
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andemic-related layoffs and closures left many people across the country in need of a new opportunity. The scenario was no different in Texas. At the start of the pandemic, Texas’ unemployment rate rose to 12.8%. By February 2021, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate had dropped down to 6.9%, compared to 6.8% in January 2020. Rebounds like this don’t happen by chance. The state took immediate action working with employers, higher education and Texans to head off the worst of the effects. One of
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the Texas Workforce Commission’s primary concerns was keeping the state’s talent pipeline primed for the future by helping students stay on track. In July 2020, the state announced a $175 million combined investment to post-secondary students and institutions to support higher education, including $93 million to help students continue or restart their progress toward earning a post-secondary credential or degree. Funding comes from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
