BRYAN, Texas — A new group of industry leaders, the RELLIS Building Trades Advisory Council, will begin validating workforce training courses so students can be assured they are taught all the basic skills to qualify for jobs in the building trades industry.
The 35-member advisory council, made up of employers in various construction companies, will review workforce training courses offered by educational institutions or companies.
The group was formed to make sure workforce training at RELLIS will lead to filling voids in the industry and will offer valuable training for incoming students who are interested in highly skilled and lucrative jobs in the building trades, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said.
“We at The Texas A&M University System have heard about the struggles of Texas builders to find qualified employees,” Chancellor Sharp said. “And in the tradition of serving our great state, we are making sure our new RELLIS campus will be part of the solution as we train the next generation of professionals in the building trades.”
Courses validated by industry will be identified with a thumps-up logo in a worker’s glove. (See attachment)
Chancellor Mary Hensley said Blinn College supports the program.
“Blinn is pleased to partner with local industry to provide the customized skills training that strengthens our local workforce and meets the specific needs of Brazos Valley business leaders,” she said..
Thomas Gessner of the Brazos Valley’s Gessner Engineering will be chairman of an advisory council that will provide direction for the RELLIS Building Trades Advisory Council and help meet the workforce needs of Texas.
”This unique partnership will serve to add to the labor force directly where there is need; ensuring that the students are investing in a career with an instant path to success,” Gessner said.
Hunter Goodwin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Oldham Goodwin Group, chairs the External Advisory Committee to the RELLIS trades council.
“When industry and academic institutions work together, both students and industry benefit,” Goodwin said. “Our program foundation is based on a true partnership that validates the curriculum, giving the program instant market credibility, benefitting the programs’ graduates, and we hope that everyone in the Brazos Valley and State of Texas will embrace.” Educational institutions or companies interested in having their courses reviewed should contact the RELLIS Campus at 979-458-2404 or rellis@tamus.edu.
About the RELLIS Campus
Founded in 2016 by The Texas A&M University System, the RELLIS campus in Bryan, Texas, fosters cutting-edge research, technology development, workforce training and two- and four-year college degrees by tapping the A&M System’s state agencies and multiple universities, along with academic, corporate and government partners outside the System.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu