Texas Border Project
Rio-South Texas Education & Community Development (RSTEF) awarded VIDA $200,000 for higher education and workforce development.
Vida requested the RSTEF fund to recruit, train and prepare 100 participants for the success of a career in Health Science and Information Technology, as specified in the RSTEF program parameters for the 2-year institution’s target carrier cluster. VIDA’s financial request for RSTEF coincides with $300,000 from annual funding from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Labor and Nursing Office of Expansion Grant, the Texas Mutual General Learning Grant, the Texas Sterent Connection Grant, McAllen Inc. Development Corporation, and Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation (GBIC).
Vida was designed as a workforce training model to provide higher education degrees or industry-based qualifications to ensure family employment to provide socioeconomic benefits to unemployed, unemployed and skilled individuals pursuing higher education degrees or industry-based qualifications. Vida focuses on strengthening career pathways in healthcare, STEM and skilled trading industries.
Vida serves the RGV’s most vulnerable population and faces significant barriers and challenges to professional success, including poverty, family responsibility, low skills, English as a second language, lack of career guidance, and a nonexistent support system for achieving higher education.
Vida is trying to promote economic mobility and break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through the achievement of higher education. The proposal seeks to enroll 100 participants from low-income backgrounds to pursue university degrees or accreditation in health sciences and information technology. VIDA participants are unemployed, unemployed, and unskilled individuals. Vida is trying to maintain a retention rate of 90%, completion rate of 85%, and occupational placement of 80%. Vida offers career counseling and exploration, academic advice, skill assessment, access to university education, wraparound support services and job referrals.
Rio-South Texas Education & Community Development (RSTEF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focusing on higher education and workforce development. RSTEF serves seven counties of areas consisting of Willasie, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Zapatta, Jimhog and Webb counties. Nonprofits provide financial support to 501(c)3 nonprofits, whose programs increase the skilled employment and education acquisition of local residents. The goal of RSTEF is to improve the local economic situation and quality of life by helping residents in our area to obtain occupational trade certification and/or occupational degrees in demand.
Since 2019, RSTEF has awarded $9.4 million to the Rio South Texas Region program. That $9.4 million makes use of up to $18.8 million by matching funds. To date, 26 programs have been awarded at institutions such as UTRGV, Texas A&M, Texas A&M International, Laredo College, South Texas College, TSTC, South Texas University, Valley Grande Institute, and South Texas Imaginarium.
This year, RSTEF was able to award $2.9 million to 13 initiatives promoting post-secondary education and workforce development in the region, affecting $5.8 million in the Rio South Texas region.
The RSTEF board of directors includes Keith Partridge, James Moore, Jimmy Nozzon, Dr. Miguel Nevarez, Dr. Kelly Nassole, Dr. Joel Solis, Walter Reina, David Oliveira and Frank Almaraz.
RSTEF’s fundraising cycle opens on July 1st and ends on August 31st. Please contact us for information about RSTEF and financial support. Contact us info@riosouthtexasecdf.org. Follow Rio South South Texas ECDF on Facebook.
