Texas is pumping more than $800,000 into paper manufacturing skills training, marking a significant investment in the state’s workforce development strategy.
Governor Greg Abbott announced this week that Texarkana College will receive a Skills Development Fund grant of $805,992 from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to provide customized training for 338 new and current workers at Graphic Packaging International. The investment aims to bolster the paper manufacturing industry in northeast Texas while addressing critical workforce needs.
“Texas invests in hardworking Texans to ensure that our state remains the economic engine of the nation,” Abbott said in a statement. “Through this grant, employees will be equipped with the tools and skills needed to enhance their high-demand careers and further grow our paper manufacturing industry.”
Workforce Development in Action
TWC Commissioner Representing the Public, Brent Connett, presented the grant during a ceremony at Texarkana College’s McCulloch Industrial Technology Center. The event highlighted the partnership between state government, education, and private industry.
TWC Chairman Joe Esparza emphasized the grant’s importance: “Skills Development Fund grants open pathways to prosperity for local businesses and their workforce,” he noted. “This grant will help Texarkana College and its partners provide custom training to hundreds of employees in the field of paper manufacturing.”
But what makes this program different from other workforce initiatives? The Skills Development Fund stands out as Texas’ premier workforce training program, specifically designed to help businesses upskill their workforce through customized training. The program operates through partnerships with community colleges, workforce development boards, and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.
Long-Term Impact
Since its inception in 1996, the SDF grant program has partnered with more than 4,900 employers to support the creation or upgrading of over 435,000 jobs throughout Texas. It’s become an essential tool in the state’s workforce development arsenal.
Texarkana College, which will administer the training, offers workforce training and academic credit courses in advanced technology fields. The institution has committed to increasing degree and certificate attainment as part of Texas’ ambitious 60x30TX education plan—an initiative that aims to ensure 60% of Texans aged 25-34 hold higher education credentials by 2030.
“At TC you will probably hear us talk about a concept called 60x30TX,” the college states in its catalog. “This is our state’s higher education plan to build a college-going culture and help 60% of Texans age 25-34 to earn a college degree or certificate by the year 2030.”
The SDF has earned recognition as the state’s top upskilling program, providing site-specific customized training opportunities that help increase skill levels and wages for workers across Texas. These state-funded grants ensure companies have access to a workforce trained with industry-specific skills necessary to maintain competitiveness in their respective markets.
Governor Abbott thanked the Texas Workforce Commission for collaborating with Texarkana College to “expand the better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities that we provide for Texans”—underscoring the economic development strategy behind the investment.
For the 338 workers who will receive training through this grant, the program represents more than just a job skill enhancement. It’s a potential pathway to career advancement in an industry that continues to evolve despite digital disruption, and a testament to Texas’ commitment to investing in its manufacturing workforce even as other states see declines in similar sectors.
