Regents Establish the Texas A&M Coastal Bend Occupational Advanced Skills Training Program
Program to be located at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Chaparral Building
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) is expanding the scope of its highly successful Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Hub (RAMI) in Brownsville to Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend Region at the newly established Texas A&M Coastal Bend Occupational Advanced Skills Training (COAST) program, which will be co-located with programs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) in the university’s Chaparral Building in downtown Corpus Christi.
The project was approved by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents at its August 1 meeting. COAST will connect the region’s underserved population to advanced workforce development training for locally based in-demand jobs, while also stimulating the local economy.
Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said Governor Greg Abbott had urged the System to pursue the project.
“Thanks to Governor Abbott, the Coastal Bend area is about to get an economic shot in the arm,” Chancellor Sharp said. “A trained workforce is the foundation for economic success.”
Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend Region have a dynamic economy, including chemical and petroleum manufacturing, fabrication, maritime shipping and research near the Port of Corpus Christi, which is the third largest U.S. seaport by tonnage and the nation’s top crude oil exporter. The development of related industrial facilities in the area has expanded the region’s manufacturing sector and significantly increased the need for a local skilled technical workforce. COAST will focus on workforce training gaps identified by local employers, complementing existing educational opportunities in the area.
“The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service focuses on responding to the critical needs of our state, which includes providing workforce training to help our communities and its citizens become more prosperous,” said David Coatney, TEEX agency director. “Technical workforce careers are in high demand, and we are pleased to be expanding our successful Brownsville program to Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend Region.”
The project will allocate approximately $15 million to renovate the third floor of the Chaparral Building in downtown Corpus Christi into a 15,000 square-foot classroom and laboratory space. Until this space is ready for occupancy, the program will utilize existing space at TAMU -CC and other local educational institutions and partner facilities to conduct training programs.
“This project perfectly aligns with our goal to create a workforce that will fill in-demand jobs located right here in the Coastal Bend,” said Dr. Kelly M. Miller, TAMU-CC president and CEO. “We are excited to partner with
TEEX and grateful to the A&M System, our Board of Regents, and Governor Abbott for their continued support of the Coastal Bend.”
Course offerings will include manufacturing, cybersecurity, Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) courses, process improvement, robotics, pneumatics, hydraulics and electrical systems, among others. Over 18,000 industry-recognized workforce certificates have been awarded since RAMI’s inception in September 2021, and TEEX expects the workforce training programs at COAST to be similarly successful once the program gets underway beginning this month.
As part of this program, TEEX will collaborate with public school districts in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas to promote careers and workforce training available to students in the Coastal Bend Region.
For more information about the TEEX training opportunities at COAST, contact Bill Rohrman, TEEX Project Manager, at bill.rohrman@teex.tamu.edu.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.3 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 157,000 students and makes more than 21 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu