Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, TEXAS – This semester, South Texas College’s Starr County Campus welcomed more than 80 students into its English as a Second Language (ESL) courses available through the STC Continuing, Professional and Industry Training department.
This is the largest enrollment STC’s ESL group has seen in campus history and came about through community outreach by faculty over the course of the semester and grants made possible by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
“We had faculty who went out to the churches, the schools and to our community leaders to get the word out about our ESL classes,” said STC Starr County Campus administrator Arturo Montiel, Ed.D. “This outreach resonates with our community. We know students can start with ESL, for example, and then they can move on to a certificate or beyond as they keep getting college credit. We hope they can even go all the way to receiving their bachelor’s degree.”
ESL courses at STC were made possible through the TWC, which last summer awarded $83 million to 40 grantees statewide, thanks in part to a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.
STC was awarded $1 million through the grant dedicated to helping adult learners across Texas improve English proficiency, earn high school equivalency, gain industry-recognized credentials and achieve digital literacy.
The grant enabled students to attend ESL classes free of charge.
“We never expected to get such a wonderful response from the Starr County community for our ESL program,” said Olivia De La Rosa, dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development. “We are excited that these students have taken this first step in their educational journey and hope that this is only the beginning of their time here at STC.”
One student, Monica Barrera, said she received a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a master’s degree in Education in Mexico, but despite her education, was unable to find a job in the United States because of her limited ability in English.
“The only thing that holds me back is communicating in English, but South Texas College is opening doors for me,” Barrera said in Spanish. “STC has been the only resource here in Starr County that welcomed me with open arms and through the college I am improving every day.”
STC’s Continuing, Professional and Industry Training department provides in-person as well as a variety of industry-based online courses ranging from health care to manufacturing or entrepreneurship.
For more information on all the offerings made available through STC Continuing, Professional and Industry Training department visit www.southtexascollege.edu/cpit/.