Vidor ISD wins $254,777 JET grant; CTE leaders outline certifications, industry partnerships

Vidor Independent School District officials announced at the Feb. 10 board meeting that the district received a JET grant from the Texas Workforce Commission worth $254,777 to upgrade welding facilities and equipment. The CTE director and instructors presented an update on industry-based certifications (IBCs), dual-credit partnerships and other CTE programming, and they described planned purchases and electrical upgrades needed to install modern downdraft welding tables.

The JET grant award was announced during the district’s Career and Technical Education month recognition. District CTE director L. Singleton (identified in presentation) said the grant was routed through the Texas Workforce Commission and that Vidor planned to use the funds to outfit both welding shops with downdraft welding tables, which pull fumes downward and filter air to remove welding particulates. Singleton said the grant also covers necessary electrical upgrades to support the new equipment, and that the welding shop electrical work will be engineered and bid separately; the district previously discussed an engineering contract for the welding-shop electrical assessment at the same board meeting.

Singleton and CTE teachers detailed a broad set of CTE courses and certification outcomes. Highlights presented by staff included: automotive ASC certifications with high pass rates in engine-related tracks; NCCER carpentry certifications with multi-module testing; cosmetology with 100 percent passing in senior cohorts; health sciences certifications including CNA, EKG and phlebotomy (staff said many CNA tests were scheduled and that pass rates are high among those who have completed testing); and welding D11 and D91 certifications with expanding enrollment. CTE staff said the welding program also plans to add pipe-welding certifications in the future.

Singleton reported a districtwide approved-IBCs rate of 63.6 percent of graduates receiving at least one certification in the most recent TAPER-report data set; she compared that to a Region 5 average of 29.2 percent and a statewide average of 33.4 percent, and said the district’s certification rate had increased by nearly 20 percentage points year over year. Staff also described business partnerships and job-shadowing events (for example, culinary students visited Chick-fil-A) and noted dual-credit agreements with local institutions for anatomy and physiology and medical terminology.

Students and instructors participated in the presentation. Student Peyton Sond (culinary program) described dishes prepared for the board and thanked the board for supporting CTE programs. Mr. Hartman (construction/building trades instructor) provided examples of student-built projects and the program’s community partnerships.

District staff said the JET grant award was not part of the bond and will provide targeted improvements to the welding program that had not been included in prior bond projects. Singleton said the grant would pay for downdraft welding tables and that additional electrical work would be needed; she said district staff would follow procurement rules and pursue engineering and contracting steps to complete the installation.

Speakers

- L. Singleton, CTE director, Vidor ISD (announced JET grant) - Peyton Sond, student, Culinary Arts (student speaker) - Mr. Hartman, building trades instructor (presented video/project examples) - Ms. Veil, culinary instructor (present at presentation)

Authorities

- Texas Workforce Commission (JET grant program) - TAPER district report (presented statistics from most recent TAPER compilation)

Clarifying details

- JET grant amount: $254,777 (presenter spelled out $254,000 and $777)