Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to Announce $31.6M Investment to Expand Jobs and Workers

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Hidalgo and Commissioner Rodney Ellis will join local leaders Tuesday morning to announce $31.6 million in funding for the American Rescue Plan Act, according to a press release.

According to the announcement, the funding will help expand the county’s workforce training efforts by hiring nearly 1,000 underemployed Harris County residents for fast-growing jobs in construction, technology, and IT over the next two years, as well as training an additional 650 residents for development. new workforce skills.

Labor leaders will lay out a proposed worker-led apprenticeship program that is expected to be voted on by a court of commissioners on Tuesday. According to the press release, the proposed $9.1 million investment funded by the American Rescue Plan Act will create a partnership with the Harris County and Texas Gulf Coast Federation of Labor.

The program will train more than 1,500 people through apprenticeships in construction, public transportation and entertainment, Hidalgo said.

Among the participants of the press conference:

• Honey Khalil, Executive Director of the Texas Gulf Coast Federation of Labor

• Paul Puente, Executive Secretary, Houston Gulf Coast Building & Construction Trades Council

• Candice Castillo, Collaborative Learning Committee, Local Pipe Union 211

• Horace Marves, Local Transport Union 260

• Sanjay Ramabhadran, Chairman of the Board, METRO

• Mark Grady, International Theater Workers Alliance Local 51

• Jonathan Pride, CEO of NPower