TEMPLE, Texas (FOX 44) – The Texas Workforce Commission has honored Temple College with its 2022 Texas All-Star College Award.

Temple College says this award celebrates a community college, technical college or Texas engineering extension service whose efforts and partnership improve the Texas workforce system and local community by identifying, creating and contributing to skills enhancement and training to best support business needs. The award recognizes an organization which focuses on skills gaps and uses innovative approaches to best support the mission of the Texas workforce system to remain competitive.

Vice President for Workforce Development DeDe Griffith and members of the Temple College workforce development staff were in Dallas on Thursday. They attended the Texas Workforce Commission Conference – where they were presented the award.

Dr. Christy Ponce, Temple College President, said that the award is the result of the College’s strong collaboration with the Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, who connects individuals to employment.

“While Temple College has the privilege of training individuals and equipping them with industry-recognized credentials and college degrees, this award would not be possible without our partners at Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. Susan Kamas and Dr. Linda Angel have been instrumental in helping us build programs and bring education and training opportunities to the region,” Ponce said. “Over the years, we’ve made incredible strides to equip students of all ages with the hands-on skills and training they need to compete for 21^st century careers designed with 4.0 technology and beyond.”

Temple College competed against 28 Texas Workforce Boards nominees for the statewide award.

Some of the highlighted Temple College programs included the “Go to Work” program – which combines workforce and community partner resources to provide students with short-term training and an industry-recognized credential leading to employment in just one week, as well as the Texas Upskilling and Reskilling grant program which helps students return to college to finish what they started.

Other programs included were the Temple College Circle of Support, which provides non-academic resources; the Adult Education and Literacy program, which provides Direct Your Destiny scholarships for GED students to attend workforce training classes; and the Skills Development Fund employer partnerships.

Temple College says one of the most notable employer partnerships is with Baylor Scott and White Health. In September, Commissioner Julian Alvarez III was at Temple College to celebrate the Texas Workforce Commission’s awarding of a $408,584 Skills Development Fund Grant in partnership with Baylor Scott and White Health. The funds were used to train employees in various courses, including clinical medical assistant, patient care technician, medical terminology, and customer service for healthcare professionals.