Collin College will get $346,697 in state money for welding equipment, part of more than $20 million in career training grants Gov. Greg Abbott announced Oct. 12.
The grant is meant to help Collin College train 120 welders. In a related award, Blue Ridge ISD will receive $346,185 for welding instruction it runs together with Collin College.
The money comes from the Texas Workforce Commission's Jobs and Education for Texans program, known as JET, which approved 84 grants for 2026. According to the governor's office, the equipment bought with this round should serve more than 7,400 students in its first year.
Other North Texas recipients include Tarrant County College District, which will receive $55,673 to train 140 welders, and Harmony Public Schools North Texas, awarded $185,297 for industrial engineering training with Dallas College. Statewide, the grants went to 27 public junior, technical and state colleges and to 57 school districts and charter schools.
JET grants pay to buy and install equipment for career and technical education. To qualify, a course has to prepare students for a license, certificate or postsecondary degree in a high-demand job. Besides welding, this year's awards support programs in fields such as nursing, radiology, engineering, HVAC, auto technology, aircraft mechanics, trucking, petroleum and electrical systems, machining and food service.
