TVCC Workforce Education conducting community needs survey

Jul. 22—Trinity Valley Community College is offering a survey to business owners, business employees, school employees and community members. This survey has been designed to help shape education to regional needs, the survey will shed light on workforce demands and trends within TVCC's respective communities.

TVCC's current programming is robust, offering programs in areas like agriculture, ranch management, business management, computer science, cyber security, cloud computing, CDL truck driving, nursing, robotics, GED training, welding and more.

Kelley Townsend, Associate Vice President of Workforce Education at TVCC, said community feedback on existing and potential programming is vital to addressing local workforce concerns.

"TVCC relies on its community constituents and its business community to collaborate with us, so that we can ensure that we're offering the skilled training programs that the employers need to hire qualified, skilled employees," Townsend said. "We have strong and active program advisory committees, but utilizing this survey with these specific questions offers a broader audience the opportunity to provide insight and perspective that TVCC has not requested before."

The survey is estimated to take five to 10 minutes to complete and will include questions about TVCC's weaknesses and strengths. The survey seeks to directly address location, programming and competition obstacles, as well as the opportunities and benefits community members might have received from curriculum.

In order to update TVCC's educational offerings for relevant and pressing community needs, Townsend said that many different participants should participate in the survey.

"TVCC's Workforce Education is in a season of improvement and we want everyone within our service area and anyone that has an opinion about what we should be doing to have a seat at the table," Townsend said. "We are updating programs, courses and curriculum and need experts in the industry to assist us in making TVCC programs the best in the field. We want to be where students come to obtain training in particular skilled training areas. We can only do that with our community's assistance."

According to Townsend, information from the surveys could potentially lead to new programs.

"Information we obtain from these surveys will assist us with not only assessing and improving our current programs, but assessing the need for new and different programs we do not currently have," Townsend said. "Survey information will allow us to assess our entire program to ensure we are indeed offering what is needed in our communities. If we are not meeting community needs, this survey offers a chance to address that and strategically make improvements and changes. This is truly putting anyone that wants their opinion heard, at the table to be heard."

To take TVCC's workforce education survey contact Palestine Economic Development office at 903-729-4100 for additional information.

To learn more about Palestine's workforce visit: http://www.palestinetexas.net/site-selectors/demographicsand-workforce.