After a lengthy, competitive process, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded SERJobs a $5 million grant to support the establishment of SER’s new Workforce Training Center. The services that will be provided within this new facility will help promote long-term economic recovery and prosperity throughout the Houston community.
In 2018, Congress set aside $600 million to the EDA specifically for disaster relief and recovery funding for Hurricane Harvey-affected communities. With this award, SERJobs plans to break ground on its new training facility in 2020 that will help double the number of clients educated, trained, and employed through SER programs and services over the next few years. This new facility will be located on Tellepsen Street, right around the corner from SER’s Workforce Opportunity Center, and will allow SER to create more immersive training spaces for hands-on experience in construction, welding, telecommunication, technology, and other in-demand sectors.
So, how does a skills training center factor in to disaster recovery?
SER’s approach to natural disaster preparation is two-fold: First, by expanding the amount of clients served we are preparing the community to be in a better financial state when disaster strikes. When many families are one paycheck away from financial ruin, preparing our clients to care for themselves and their families during times of crisis is crucial. This means helping people get into living-wage careers as well as helping to improve financial sustainability by building savings, assets, and financial resources so they’re better prepared when emergencies arise. Second, adding more skilled workers to Houston’s workforce will help speed up post-disaster recovery and rebuilding initiatives. SER has experienced a high demand for skilled laborers following natural disasters in the past (particularly with Hurricane Harvey). With the inevitability of flooding in the Houston area, it is best to always be prepared and this new facility will help ensure better preparation for our clients and community at large.